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Think about the difference between asking a vending machine for something and asking a good parent or carer.
| A vending machine | A good parent |
|---|---|
| Gives you whatever you pay for | Gives you what is good for you |
| Doesn't know or care who you are | Knows you and loves you |
| Can't say "not yet" or "no" for your good | Sometimes says "wait" or "no" because they love you |
| You only go to it when you want something | You talk to them about everything |
Which one do people sometimes treat God like?
This term we're asking "Who am I?", and we've heard that God is a Father who knows what you need before you ask (Matthew 6:8). So here's a fair question: if God already knows what I need, why bother asking? Today Jesus answers that.
What you'll learn
- The story of the friend at midnight, and what it means
- Why God is not like a vending machine
- How to think honestly about prayers that don't get the answer we hoped for
The friend at midnight
In Luke 11, the disciples see Jesus praying and ask him to teach them to pray. He gives them a short version of the Lord's Prayer. Then he tells a funny story (Luke 11:5–8).
In Jesus' time, feeding a guest was a big deal, and many families slept together in one room with the door barred. Getting up meant waking everyone.
So picture it. It's midnight. A friend has turned up at your house after a long journey, and you've got nothing to feed him. You go next door and knock. A sleepy voice from inside tells you to go away: the door is locked, the kids are asleep, he can't get up. But you keep knocking. And knocking. Finally your neighbour gets up and gives you what you need, not because he feels generous, but because you won't give up.
Is Jesus saying God is like a grumpy neighbour who has to be nagged? No! This is a "how much more" story. If even a grumpy, sleepy friend will get up, how much more will God, who never sleeps and is never annoyed by his children, answer them?
"Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121:4)
Ask, seek, knock
Then Jesus says:
"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; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7–8)
Ask, seek, knock are three ways of saying the same thing, each a bit stronger. They carry the sense of "keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking". Prayer isn't one try and then give up.
Why ask if God already knows? Because prayer isn't about giving God information. It's about relationship. A good parent knows when their child is hungry, but still loves it when the child comes and talks to them. Asking is how children show they trust.
How much more. Jesus says that even imperfect human parents don't give their child a snake when they ask for a fish. God is far better than the best parent, and he's nothing like the worst one.
"So if you who 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 11:13)
Matthew says the Father gives "good things". Luke says he gives the Holy Spirit. The greatest thing God gives in answer to prayer is himself.
When the answer isn't what I wanted
Let's be honest: almost everyone has prayed for something and not received it, sometimes something really important. That hurts. People sometimes decide God isn't real, or doesn't care, or that they didn't pray hard enough.
Jesus promises that God hears and gives good gifts. He doesn't promise we'll get exactly what we ask for, exactly when we ask. God's answers can look like yes, not yet, or no, I have something better. Sometimes we don't find out why in this life. And it is never because someone didn't have enough faith or use the right words.
Jesus himself asked his Father for something and didn't receive it the way he asked. The night before he died, he prayed:
"‘Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.’" (Luke 22:42)
Jesus kept trusting his Father, and God's answer was the cross and the resurrection: the best gift for the whole world. Jesus knows what it's like when a prayer is hard.
Who God says I am
- A child my Father loves to hear from, who can keep asking (Luke 11:9–13).
Key words
- Persistence: keeping on going and not giving up.
- "How much more": an argument from small to big: if even this is true, how much more is that true.
How this points to Jesus
Jesus doesn't just teach about prayer; he shows us how to pray. In the garden he asked honestly, trusted his Father completely, and accepted the hardest answer. Christians believe that because of what Jesus did on the cross, they can come to God as his children and know they will be heard.
Think about it
If God already knows what we need, why does Jesus tell us to ask?Show answer
Because prayer is about relationship, not information. God wants his children to come to him and trust him, like a parent who loves it when their child talks to them.
What is the point of the story of the friend at midnight?Show answer
If even a grumpy, sleepy neighbour will get up and help when someone keeps asking, how much more will God, who never sleeps and loves his children, listen when they pray.
What is the difference between "God didn't answer" and "God's answer was no or not yet"?Show answer
"Didn't answer" means God wasn't listening. "No" or "not yet" means God heard, and in his love chose something different or a better time.
Take it further
Make your own private "ask, seek, knock" list for this week:
- Ask: something you need, or someone you want to pray for.
- Seek: something you want to understand about God.
- Knock: a "door" you'd like God to open (a friendship, a situation at home or school).
If you're not sure about faith, you could write what you would ask God for if you were sure he was listening. Pray through your list each day, and note anything that happens. Your worksheet has space for your list.
If you'd like to, you could pray:
Father, thank you that you know what I need and still want me to ask. Help me to keep asking, keep seeking and keep knocking, and to trust that you are good, even when your answer is "wait". Amen.