5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. Luke 11:5-8 (NIV)
Homes in the time of this scripture were likely one room, and all the family members slept in very close quarters. It would be a big deal to honor the request of the neighbor at midnight.
But that didn’t stop the man from coming at dark and asking for the bread. So, it is the same with God. We can come to Him at ANY TIME with ANY NEED no matter how BIG it is. Even if God’s first response is “No,” He can change His mind based on our audacity to ask, and continued asking.
I love the idea that our prayers can influence God. I say this cautiously. God is not and never will be a cosmic vending machine for all your wants and desires. Do not think the Lord can be swayed by your selfish ambitions. But if your audacious ask is backed by audacious believing faith, God can meet your request, always according to His will.
One example of rightful persuading prayer is found with Abraham. Read Genesis 18:22-33; 19:12-17, for the full story behind Abraham’s passionate request. God was going to wipe out a whole sinful city, but Abraham pleaded with God “what if there are 50 righteous in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of 50 righteous people?” After several exchanges with the Lord, Abraham’s persistence moves God to agree to spare the city even if only 10 can be found. The audacious exchange back and forth gives us hope that we can bring our requests to the Lord when they are wrapped in big believing faith.
REFLECT:
-Where have you seen God answer your big request in the past?
-What big audacious act of God do you need in your life right now?
-How are you encouraged to bring this to God?
-Who needs this devotional to remind them to take their big asks to God who is even bigger?