“Still Knocking”

Jesus told a parable that is recorded in Luke 11 about a guy who went to a friend’s house at midnight needing bread. He knocked on the door and awakened his friend. He told him that unexpected company had arrived late and they did not have any bread for them. “May I borrow some bread from you?” And the friend, who did not even get out of the bed, replied, “Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night and we are all in bed. I can’t help you this time.”

And Jesus said that the guy at the door thought about it for a moment and then . . . he knocked on the door again. And again. And again. And again. And again until the friend finally got up and gave him what he wanted.

This parable was a direct answer to the disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” So Jesus said that prayer is like irritating a friend until he gives you what you want. In other words, God often acts like He doesn’t really care about your needs and does not answer the door until you become repulsively bothersome. When He gets sick and tired of you banging on Heaven’s door, then He will say, “OK! Enough already. Geesh, what do you want?” That’s prayer.
(& if you don’t believe me, read Jesus’ parable in Luke 18 about the persistent widow who did the same thing to a village official. It’s a similar situation with different faces.)

This story has taken on new meaning for me in recent days. This past summer I completed three years of praying for a specific request and today, would you guess what happened? Nothing happened. I am still knocking at the door. Following Jesus’ storyline, I think that perhaps God has just gotten out of the bed and is headed to the breadbox. But He’s not there yet. I am unsure how long it will take Him to get from the kitchen to the door. And so I am standing here at the door with the same need after three years - still knocking.

Still Knocking - Part 2

Some of you may be tempted to say, “Wow, what faith!” And maybe it is, but quite honestly, it has felt like frustration and disappointment. And the reality of my situation for me is this simple: I have nowhere else to go. I have no one else to ask to do this thing for me. Only God can meet this need. And so I have continued to go to Him.

After all, I think that is why this guy went to his friend. He was facing a crisis. I can imagine him thinking, “What do I do? Who do I ask? Taco Bell closes early on weeknights. Oh, I can go to my friend’s house.” And remember his friend’s response: “I can’t help you this time” meaning that he had helped him on previous situations, which is why he went back to knock on his door again. And that is why I go back to God again. He has helped me out before. And I refuse to believe that He does not care about my situation & me. The Bible bears witness otherwise. He is deeply devoted to me, like the friend in Jesus’ parable.

And so I asked myself recently, “Why do you keep praying for this need to be met?” If God wants that situation to change, He will do so. You’ve asked Him enough. And I pondered that until I remembered a prayer principle I have followed for many years. Whenever I have seen something that looks like it needed God’s intervention, my first response usually has been to pray. Sometimes those prayers will fade with time and I will quit asking God to help. However, there are also moments in life when I can’t help but keep praying for intervention. And so I keep praying and praying. I have learned that those promptings are the Holy Spirit reminding me of the need to pray, which says to me, “This situation is on God’s heart and He is going to answer in time, but for right now, He wants you to keep praying.” So I have.

That principle has brought me back to the door every morning and throughout each day. I keep knocking on the door trying to wake Him up. And I fully believe that one day in the future, God will open the door and give me what I ask. After all, He said He would. “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. I’m still knocking.