"Jesus said to his disciples, 'Suppose one of you has a friend. Suppose you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don't have anything to serve him.' Your friend might answer you from inside his house, 'Don't bother me! The door is already locked, and my children are in bed. I can't get up to give you anything.' I can guarantee that although he doesn't want to get up to give you anything, he will get up and give you whatever you need because he is your friend and because you were so bold.
So I tell you to ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the person who knocks, the door will be opened." – Luke 11:5-10
Reflection:
If you read the scripture verses above carefully, you caught it. You saw that Jesus tells us to pray boldly, and with persistence and expectation.
You know the saying “Go big, or go home,” right? So, if we're going to tap into the most powerful Source in the universe, let's ask for big things. Significant things, like healing for a friend's lung cancer or urgent sole custody for a child or a much-needed job. Let's ask for the lost to come to Christ.
Remember, God cherishes us. He is the best-ever Father, like a loving dad who sits up all night in the hospital room of a sick child, wanting to be there through the illness, the pain, the displacement. Willing to lose sleep, not eating, to be present with his precious son or daughter.
God is with us in all of our suffering and troubles—the greatest role model for any parent. So, when we're messed up, feeling weak, and needing divine help, it shows that unless we are helpless we cannot be helped. We have to reach out and grab the Lifebuoy so we don't drown. Otherwise, we're not ready for intervention. We have to recognize our helplessness, so we won't become hopeless. We are in Christ, not doing life alone.
A side note here: My dad was the preacher in our family, but every so often I feel impressed to share some of his vision in my monthly blogs. I've seen firsthand the power of prayer from my parents. They lived by faith, literally, even praying in groceries when they were church planters, back in the day when it was actually called "pioneer pastoring," and were paid with chickens from their small congregation. Living by faith meant storming the Throne of Grace when my mother was diagnosed with inoperable ovarian cancer and given six months to live, when I was just a small girl. And, believe me, we prayed repeatedly for her healing! (Read the account of this miracle story, if you wish, in my book, The Sunroom). Like Jesus said, we must be persistent in our prayers...and wait with great expectation.
Beverly Lewis
Writing Update: Some of you have asked, and yes, I am on deadline, currently writing my Fall 2020 book (a stand-alone novel set in Strasburg, PA, the heart of Amish farmland in Lancaster County). Please stay tuned for the title reveal soon.
Also, the conclusion to The Tinderbox releases two weeks from today, so if you want it to read The Timepiece on its release day (September 17) you may want to preorder online or at your local bookstore. Thank you so much for following me faithfully all these years, and for being such amazingly devoted readers!
