Impudent Prayers

If A Coffee Break Is Good, A Prayer Break Is Better

Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, contends that those of us who are retired are on a continual coffee break. Not just the retired enjoy a break from their work, with a time out for a drink of coffee or another beverage. A coffee break is a positive experience for many people, enabling them to relax and recharge their bodies and minds.

Taking a prayer break can calm, recharge, and refresh our souls. On a job, you will not be allowed too many coffee breaks. However, there is no limit on how many silent prayers a person can fit into their day. Life tends to stick and burn, so regularly stirring it with prayer is a good idea.

Prayer releases the energies of God into our lives because He does what we cannot. Prayer isn’t simply about our thoughts or words but our surrender to God’s will. We come to the Lord in prayer to find a place to rest or to dock our souls in safety. When docking a boat, we throw a rope or boat hook to the dock and pull our boat to it. We don’t pull the dock to our boat; we pull our boat to the dock. In prayer, we seek to pull ourselves to meet and anchor ourselves to God’s will.

In the eleventh chapter of Luke, Jesus taught his disciples how to pray in these words: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead is us not into temptation. (Luke 11:2-4)

Jesus gave his disciples specific words to say when praying, but he also encouraged them to pray boldly because God is open to our prayers. He is willing to give us what we ask for in our prayers because He is our loving Father in heaven. Jesus says to boldly pray because we are asking of God. Our heavenly Father can give better and more incredible gifts than we give each other. Loving earthly fathers give good presents to their children, not gifts that would poison like a snake or sting like a scorpion. How much greater is our heavenly Father ready to give not just good gifts but the blessings we could never give to each other. Our heavenly Father promised to give the best gift of all, the Holy Spirit, to those who ask him.

Jesus speaks of how a friend comes to you at midnight asking for three loaves of bread because unexpected company has arrived, and he needs to borrow bread to feed his guests. The friend has rudely awakened you knowing you will not turn him away empty-handed when he insists you need to help him in his situation. Because of his boldness, you give him the three loaves of bread. This is an example of how we give others what they need even when it is inconveniently late at night.

Jesus tells his disciples when it comes to asking or praying to our Heavenly Father, “Everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Luke 11:11)

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