"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

And lead us not into temptation.’”

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need."

- Luke 11:1-8 (NIV)

Parables often move from “light to heavy.”

I. God is a relational God.

God is a relational God who longs for us to come to Him.

"I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my supplications.

Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live."

- Psalm 116:1-2 (NASB)

II. God is not reluctant to hear and respond to your request.

"Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him' and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.'"

"I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs."

- Luke 11:5-8 (NASB)

Far more than you want your prayers answered, God longs to give wonderful things to every one of His children. So whatever else you do, don’t stop praying.

III. God wants you to trust in His good will.

"Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’"

- Luke 11:5 (NIV)

If we see prayer as a means to say to God, “My will be done," our prayers can begin to harm our relationship with God.

Prayer is not just petition. It is strenuous petition!

"I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me."

- Romans 15:30 (NIV)

"Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops."

- James 5:17-18 (NIV)

"In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city."

- Isaiah 38:1-6 (NIV)

Can prayer change God’s mind?

If by “change” you mean alter the primary objective, No.

If by “change” you mean take a different path to the same objective, Yes!

What is Luke 11 teaching?

1. We have assurance that God, our Heavenly Father, always wants the best for His children.

2. We know that as we pray, we already have the ultimate good thing.

“In God Himself we have the headwaters and source of all we desire, even if one of the tributaries of our joy, something in this world that we love, goes dry.”

― Tim Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God

We can be sure that, if we ask for something that would not be best for us, God will not give it to us.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God."

- Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)

God is going to give you what you would have asked for if you knew everything He knows!

We do this with the absolute assurance that:

• Our bad things will turn out for good. Romans 8:28

• Our good things can never be taken from us Psalm 4:6-7

• The best things are yet to come. 1 Corinthians 2:9

3. We know that we are often called to wait.

"“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

- Luke 11:9-10 (NIV)

We should be absolutely confident that God hears us. We should also be extremely patient with God’s timing.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness..."

- 2 Peter 3:9a (NIV)

At the cross—the central event in human history, God treated Jesus as we deserve so that, when we believe in Him, God can treat us as Jesus deserved.

Jesus’ prayers were given the rejection that we sinners merit so that our prayers could have the reception that He merits.

"Which of you Fathers if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

- Luke 11:11-13 (NIV)

There has never been a parent on earth that wants joy for his or her children as much as your Father in heaven wants joy for you, His child.

There has never been a human father who wanted to answer his child’s petition as much as God wants to answer yours.

We know that God will answer us when we call “my God” because God did not answer Jesus when He made the same petition on the cross.

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