A word of warning. I’m tired. No, wait. I’m ... really tired. La Donna and I just got back from a week at Mission u, the Indiana Conference United Methodist Women’s mission education event. We taught a course, as I mentioned last week, on The Bible and Human Sexuality. And let me tell you that dancing around topics is really wearing! No, actually we had a great time. Eight hours of teaching over four days, with other worship and plenary gatherings, not to mention planning meetings and then intense presentation planning times while La Donna and I got used to different teaching styles and learned to work together. I think we did quite well, even if I do say so myself. But then on Saturday we had the fun task of taking those eight hours of teaching and stuff them into a one hour slot. Oh, my goodness that was difficult, deciding what not to say was as tricky as deciding what to say in the beginning.
Plus, in the middle of it all, I got a call from the facility where we hoped to place dad. He had been approved when did you want to move him in? So, after our session on Tuesday, I drove up to Frankfort, to Wesley Manor, United Methodist Home and signed lots of papers and wrote some pretty big checks. Then on Thursday, my brother Hank drove dad and a selection of his worldly goods and we unloaded them and moved him into his new apartment.
Plus, plus, it was hot. All week long. The hottest it’s been all summer so far, I’m sure. Hot and muggy and sticky and hot. And hot. On Thursday, my weather app said that the temperature was 91, but that the humidity made it feel like 116. Unloading the truck was sweaty and draining work. Just walking from the classroom, to the dining room to the dorm across the campus of DePauw University was sweaty work. Draining. Hot. I worked up a sweat teaching in the air conditioned rooms. Air conditioning that couldn’t really keep up. At least for me. Some of the women were wearing jackets and complaining about being cold. Someone said lets ask them to turn on the heat. I prayed. I really prayed. Good Lord, no. No, don’t let them. How much more can we take? How much more?
Luke 11:1-13 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." 2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial."
5 And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' 7 And he answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
We’re talking about prayer in worship this week. Jesus seems eager to talk about it. He interprets the question from that disciples as license to tell them not just how to pray, but also how to pray. Uh, proofreader, you missed one. Not only how, but also how? Whoops you’re right. That not quite right. Jesus took the opportunity to not only tell them how to pray, and then how to pray, but he also told them how to pray. That’s better. Isn’t it?
The disciples showed up, like the collie pups that they are bounding around, wagging their tails at the great idea they had, and spoke to Him. “Hey, Jesus, you know John, John the B, the guy in the river, remember him? Well, turns out John’s disciples have a prayer to pray that identifies them as his. So, we were thinking, since you didn’t like the “Jesus’ Squad” tattoo idea, that maybe you could give us a prayer to pray. So, when everyone hears it they’ll know we’re on the J-Team! So, whadda ya think, Jesus, huh, how about it? Huh? Come on Jesus, give us a prayer to pray.”
They weren’t really asking about prayer. They wanted a slogan, a catchphrase, a chant to out-chant John’s disciples. But Jesus, being Jesus, is not one to turn away from an opportunity to do more than he was asked to do. To give them more, much more than they thought they wanted. So, instead of prayer they could pray, he gave them a framework for praying. When you pray, he told them, you start with God. You start with the relationship you have with God because you know me, Father, you are holy, and we can’t wait until all that you have in store for us and this world comes to pass. Then, he told them, then you can talk about you, how dependent you are on him, how much in need of grace you are, and how much you need God to surround you so that you have the strength to say no when things get difficult. That’s how you pray.
The disciples look at each other to see if anyone had written it down. Levi did, he was always writing stuff down. So, they said thanks and turned to run off. But Jesus raised his hand. I’m not done answering your question. You asked how to pray. I told you how to put the words together. The order of things. But now I need to tell you how to pray. Peter says, “But...” before the rest of them clap hands over his mouth and nod to Jesus to go on. Suppose one of you has a friend...Did any of them have friends, beyond the ones hovering around looking uncertainly at Jesus? I’m sure at one time they did. But did they still? I mean they gave up everything to follow Him, didn’t they? So, they looked puzzled. Jesus waved his hand at their confusion. It’s a metaphor. They all relaxed a little bit. Oh, ok, a metaphor.
The metaphor says, keep praying. Don’t give up. Keep praying until the need for which you pray is resolved, one way or another. Jesus says pray with persistence. That’s how we pray. Keep the lines of communication open. Turn to God first no matter what the need is. Don’t just go to God for the “spiritual” stuff, whatever that is. But go to God with everything. And keep at it. Teach us how to pray, here’s how, with persistence. No matter what. No matter how bleak, no matter how hopeless, no matter how late, pray and trust that God is going to take care of the problem, in one way or another. Maybe it will be removed just the way you want it to be. Or maybe you’ll be strengthened in order to continue facing the problem. But it will be answered. So keep pounding on that door late into the night. Ask, and ask, and ask. And keep looking for the answer, looking for the action, looking for the activity of God at work in your life. Knock on that door.
Nods all around, they’ve got it now, He gave us the how, the words the framework for every prayer, God first then us. Then He gave us the how, the activity of prayer, the persistence of prayer. Keep at it, don’t stop. Pray without ceasing, they thought and then said, no, that’s crazy. But keep at it.
They got up to run away, but Jesus had grabbed the lapel of John’s sport coat and they came to halt like they were joined at the hip. Jesus smiled that smile He has when He knows they are still missing something, but are about to get it. How do you pray? That’s what you asked me, right? Well, let me tell you. “But you just ... mumph, mmph.” Go ahead Jesus the rest of them said. If your child asked for a fish, would you give them a snake? If he asked for an egg would you give him a scorpion? Well, would you? Furrowed brows all around. They looked for the answers on the top of their shoes, shuffled their feet in the dust. Um.. Thaddeus tries. “No?” Of course not! Jesus shouts, to Thaddeus’s relief. No, you wouldn’t. So why would God, who is Goodness to the extreme do any less than give good things to those who ask for them? That’s how you pray.
They all nod, heads indicating agreement, eyes revealing they didn’t have a clue. So, Jesus sighed and said, how do you pray? Hopefully. Expecting good things. Expecting just what you need. You can give good things to your children, how much more will God give us just what we need, the Holy Spirit. That’s what we need. The Holy Spirit of wisdom, the Holy Spirit of encouragement, of strengthening, the Holy Spirit of discernment, of acceptance, the Holy Spirit of putting one foot in front of another.
Someone who knew a little of my story told me they were praying for me this week. I don’t know, she said, how you keep going. Because you prayed, I told her, because you prayed. How much more will God give? Ask and see.
Shalom,
Derek
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