Prayer (Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-14)

by M. Dyer, Edinburgh, Scotland | Category: The Lord's Parables | Jun 1991

We are told that it was in the days of Enosh that men first began to call upon the Name of the Lord (Gen. 4:26). When men began to appreciate their frailty and mortality they stretched out towards the Lord in prayer.

The first specific use of the word prayer is in Genesis 20 in the matter of God's judgement on the house of Abimelech. Verse 7 is interesting in that it couples Abimelech's repentance with Abraham's prayer in the withholding of divine judgement. Thereafter throughout the Old Testament scriptures we have many examples of prayer and its effects, ranging over the lives of Moses, Hannah, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Hezekiah, Isaiah and others.

In seeking to learn something about prayer we are on sure ground when we come to the Gospel accounts. Here the servants have given place to the Master and in the example and words of the Lord we have rich instruction and guidance to help us in our attitude towards prayer and its practical effect in our lives.

These parables in Luke clearly present to us principles that govern requests in prayer and the divine response. In the parable in chapter 11 the response to the request was not forthcoming on the grounds of friendship. The relationship between the two friends was good. The Lord uses the same word here as He employs to describe His friends in John 15:14. A close loving friendship was not the key to success, it rather lay in an attitude of mind that would not accept "I cannot rise and give thee" for an answer.

It is, however, instructive to note that the Lord here introduces the Holy Spirit into the narrative. He is the blessed One who was to come and who dwells in our hearts. He also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26-27).

As He knows our thoughts afar off, so He also knows our needs. "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" (Mat. 6:32-33). In all the divine ways there is balance, and we in our dealings with Him must note where the pivots lie.

In Chapter 11 verse 8 the Lord gives us an example of a man being

importuned and its results. This is followed immediately by His authoritative word, "I say unto you"; directing us to Himself and to the divine response to fervency in our prayers. "Ask", says the Lord, and in the use of the word indicates our place as a suppliant: the lesser, in view of His place as the greater in giving. It is interesting that this same word is used by Joseph of Arimathea in Mark 15:43 when we are told that he went in boldly and craved (AV) the body of Jesus. "Seek", says the Lord, showing that there must be deep desire for what is wanted: not a superficial wish, but a constancy till the desired object is obtained.

"Knock" says the Lord: a stretching out after the Lord in prayer, a bridging of the gap between earth and heaven that leads to what John saw: "a door opened in heaven". It is the privilege of prayer: access to the presence of the Lord at all times and under all circumstances through that blessed One who said "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, no one cometh unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).

The parable presented to us in chapter 18:1-7 is placed between verses which allude to the coming of the Son of Man. A waiting period is always a difficult period, trying to both patience and hope. This parable is a strong encouragement to continue steadfastly in prayer (Acts 2:42). The operative word in Luke 18:1 is "always". In considering this parable and its object it is an interesting study to lay it alongside Isaiah 40:27-31. Note that the One who "fainteth not" gives power to the faint and those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength and not faint.

It was unfortunate for the woman in the parable that she was dealing with an unrighteous judge. It was only her persistence and a wearing down of the judge that won her the day. Proverbs 21:3 tells us "To do justice and judgement is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice". Elijah prayed fervently and he prayed again (James 5:17-18). The believer prays again and again and again to a righteous God who will respond according to a standard of righteousness and knowledge that is eternal and impartial.

It is interesting to note that the Lord draws our attention to the words of an unrighteous man for our guidance. In some cases the sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light (Luke 16:8).

There is a lovely expression in verse 7: "His elect", showing that deep relationship between the Lord and His own, and His deep interest in them and in their prayers. This verse is of further interest in that it underlines an aspect of the divine character - God is patient with His own and shows great patience with their prayers. He is a long-suffering God who, when the time comes to act, will do so swiftly and decisively.

The example has been set. We too must show patience when looking for an answer to our prayers. The words of David and Jeremiah are relevant in

the context of the foregoing. "I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me and heard my cry" (Psalm 40:1) and "It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD" (Lam. 3:26).

In our last parable in verses 9-14 we are clearly taught principles of humility and condition which should govern our prayer life. The Lord had specific persons in mind when He told this parable. The One who knows the heart and the mind of all men directs these words to "certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and set all others at nought"; a dangerous and unbecoming state of mind for any man to be in.

The two men went to the right place - the Place of the Name and the place of the altar. "0 Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come" (Psalm 65:2), and "My house shall be a house of prayer" (Luke 19:46).

The Pharisee went with pride in his heart and a high look in his eyes. "An high look, and a proud heart, even the lamp of the wicked is sin" (Prov. 21:4). We are told that he prayed thus with himself. Foolish man, to speak about himself to himself, self-sufficient man with no sense of sin or the deep needs of his soul, with no humility or awe as he approached his God. He was a man who asked nothing for himself and had no place in his prayer for others; a man who in his own estimation was unique - "not as the rest of men" - forgetting that all have sinned and that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in His sight.

What a contrast is seen in the publican, who knew he was in the far off place and took that place in his approach to God, bringing no self-justification and offering nothing in self-commendation. His eyes were not upward as were the Pharisee's but directed perhaps to the altar where the sacrifice lay - the great ground of mercy and propitiation. He smote his breast, knowing that the trouble lay within, and took the sinner's place. Few words came from the depths of his soul: "God, he merciful to me a sinner".

The Lord here exercises His authority and arbitrates between these two men. Note the "I say unto you" of verse 14. The Judge of all the earth gives His verdict, and the publican who came with humility returns to his house a justified man. Paul said, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father" (Eph. 3:14). It is a lovely experience to bow ourselves in the presence of God, to recognize His greatness and omnipotence, to confess that He is Lord of all and that all our fountains are in Him (Ps. 87:7). To confess our unworthiness and to be like Jacob who recognized that he was "not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant" (Gen. 32:10) will be to receive the blessing that comes to those of a contrite and humble spirit (Is. 57:15).

M. Dyer, Edinburgh, Scotland | Jun 1991
The Lord's Parables