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Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to
whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of
bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him…’” Luke 11:5–6
Unless your friend were truly a very close friend, you may hesitate
in waking them and their family at midnight to ask to borrow some
food. And even if it were a very close friend, you would probably
hesitate for fear of disturbing them. But in this parable, the
“friend” is God. Jesus just finished giving His disciples the “Our
Father” prayer, and now He adds this parable as a way of expressing
the great confidence and determination with which we must pray to
the Father. The parable concludes by stating that even if the
person in bed does not get up to meet the request, they will do so
“because of his persistence.” And though God always is attentive to
our prayer, our persistence is an essential quality we must
have.
When we pray to God with persistence, never doubting the goodness
and generosity of God, God will pour forth upon us everything that
is good. Of course, if our prayer is for something that is selfish
or not in accord with the will of God, then all the begging in the
world will not be effective. But when we pray as the “Our Father”
prayer teaches us, then we can be certain that our fidelity to that
prayer, prayed with the utmost trust and persistence, will effect
the good gifts of the will of God in our lives.
One of the seven petitions of the “Our Father” prayer is “Thy
Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” This
is a truly beautiful petition that requires not only ongoing
persistence but also detachment from our preference in life. To
pray that “God’s” will be done and that “His” Kingdom come is a way
of also saying that you surrender all of your preferences to God.
You come to God acknowledging that your will may not be God’s will.
Thus, this petition expresses detachment in a powerful way.
Reflect, today, upon the importance of praying with the utmost
fervor and persistence to God. Reflect, also, upon the importance
of doing so with detachment. What does God want of you? What is His
holy will for your life? Seek that will and that will alone with
all your heart and you will discover that His will truly will come
to be in your life.
My perfect Lord, Your will and Your will alone is what I want
and seek. I seek it with all the powers of my soul. Help me to grow
in confidence in You and Your goodness. May I trust in You and
believe with all my heart that You truly will bring forth Your holy
will in my life if I only persist in prayer and trust. Jesus, I
trust in You.
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