This week Jesus teaches us to be bold and persistent in prayer. He talks about grace and about the attitude we should have as we approach God. Finally, he will remind us that his earthly ministry was always meant to end at the cross.
Here is a link to the livestream video:
Heavenly Father,
As we approach you in prayer, we want to leave behind any thoughts of our own merit, wisdom – and all confidence that we even know how to pray.
Our confidence is nothing more than trust in you. Give us boldness to come before you on the basis of your faithful love. And help us to be persistent in prayer.
Help us to live our lives in such a way as to store up treasure in heaven.
Not that we deserve any such thing, but again, we trust you and remember our constant need for your great grace.
And finally thank you for the cross, through which your Son Jesus has brought us into a right standing before you, by atoning for our sins.
It is in his name that we pray,
Amen
Jesus often taught off the cuff as people asked questions or made comments. We get several examples of that here in Luke 11. Some of them may be familiar to us.
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Heavenly Father,
Teach me to ask for whatever I need from you. Sometimes I forget; sometimes I just do not bother. Sometimes I am negligent in prayer. Make the kind of person who asks, seeks and knocks. Teach me to be confident as I pray.
I know that you are good, so infinitely, incomparably good compared to me. Sometimes even I do good things for my children or for others. Why should I not be confident as I approach you with my needs?
Teach me to pray bold, confident prayers. In the very word confident I see a root implying “faith” or “trust.” Help me to have complete confidence in you.
You are good and you give good things. Make me the kind of person who prays for good things that you would be more than happy to give,
In Christ,
Amen.
Central Reflections 