"Then, teaching them more about prayer,...How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him." Luke 11:5-13 (NLT)
"Shameless persistence" v. 8 -
Jesus describes the manner in which people knew how to pursue a pressing need, and have it met by a neighbor. Jesus wasn't breaking new ground here. He was just stating what was known as an accepted truth of the existing social order. People can wear you out, when they think you have what they need.
"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.
Keep on seeking, and you will find.
Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." v. 9
Again, Jesus was simply stating what the people of his community knew to be true about themselves. Heads were nodding up and down, and elbows were jostling the person next to them, and probably chuckling in agreement. There were no gasps or shocked faces. Everyone knew this to be true. You can almost hear people saying to one another, good-naturedly, "I know that's right!"
"For everyone who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds.
And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." v. 10
Jesus closes his argument, by overstating the obvious, and restating "The Good Neighbor Policy."
The point of comparison Jesus makes is not between neighbors, and parents. He doesn't portray God as a resistant friend or an indulgent parent. The point Jesus makes is...
"HOW MUCH MORE will your heavenly Father give The Holy Spirit to those who ask him." v. 13
The point of prayer is not for a person to merely be persistent or for God to be extravagant. The point of prayer is to RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Praying persistently for what you don't need is no virtue. Being indulged with stuff without substance is no blessing. Prayer is meant to fill a person with The Person, The Power, and The Presence of The Holy Spirit. To pray for less is a fool's errand, and to receive less is a poor trade.
What is The Spirit that prayer is meant to bring into the life of those who pray? Paul described it as fruit. He said,
"THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control." Galatians 5:22-23 NASB
There is a pungent aroma that accompanies any work of the flesh. It is the by-product of enormous exertion and the out-pouring of profuse perspiration. This powerful aroma can be found in locker rooms and factory floors. The labor of strong men pulls a team together or pushes a product out the door. The smell is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is not the reason for the existence of the team or the purpose of the factory. The team's purpose is to produce victories, and the factory is meant to produce profits. The odor is not the product. It is simply the by-product.
On the other hand, the farmer's effort produces the fruit of the land, by the sweat of his brow. There is no less labor, and no less sweat on a farm than in a factory. After the fruit is harvested on the farm, it is collected and then transported to a farmer's market. The over-whelming aroma of the fruit covers up the smell of those who produced it. Anyone who has ever strolled through a farmer's market soon discovers it is not about farmers at all. It is all about fruit. It is not about an aroma of fruit, but the taste of it. No matter how great the aroma, fruit tastes better than it smells. Life is in the fruit, not in the aroma. Don't settle for less than the best.
Jesus did not call His disciples to meaningless, mind-numbing, relentless prayer. He called His disciples to go to the right source for the right reason. The Father was the only one who could give them what they really needed...The Spirit.
Praying for less than what is needed the most, misses the real point and purpose of prayer. It simply doesn't matter how sincere or persistent a person is in the pursuit of the wrong purpose. Persistent, purposeless prayer never results in the right product...The Fruit of The Spirit.
Jesus described God as a "HOW MUCH MORE" kind of Father. The Spirit is The Father's answer to what His children need the most. When the church of His Son gathers as a collective body of people pursuing The Spirit, the aroma is over-whelming and attractive to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The Fruit of The Spirit always is.
When the church resists Christ's call to pray for The Spirit, they are left with the inevitable by-product of the work of their own flesh. It is an overwhelming aroma, but not as attractive, as the Fruit of The Spirit. Unchecked and unclean body odor never is.
People who persistently pray and pursue God for what they want, rather than what they need, may exert great energy, but they fail to produce The Fruit of The Spirit. The danger comes when the church body settles for the aroma of its own imitation fruit, and loses its taste for The Fruit of The Spirit.
It simply doesn't matter how much effort is made for God, or how much prayer is expressed to Him. If The Father doesn't send The Spirit to produce His fruit in the lives of His children, there is no point in praying. Without The Spirit, there will be no Great Awakening, individually or corporately. The churches of the land will be marked by the aroma of the flesh, but never release the aroma of The Fruit of The Spirit.
Imitation fruit, and perfumes may be used by churches to attract a crowd, but a Great Awakening hinges on the arrival of one person, The Holy Spirit. He is the church's Fruit Inspector.
Jesus said His followers should ask God for, and persistently pray for The Spirit. We need the aroma of His fruit in our lives, His Presence in Christ's church, and His Power in this world. The Holy Spirit launches the next Great Awakening.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!