Luke 11:5–13: „5 And he said to them: Who among you will have a friend and will go to him at midnight and say to him: Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 since a friend of mine in his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him, 7 and he answering from within will say: Do not trouble me, the door is already shut, and my children are with me in bed, I cannot, having risen up, give you. 8 I say to you, even though he will not rise up and give to him because he is his friend, because of his impudence, he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 9 And I say to you: Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For every one asking receives, and he seeking finds, and to him knocking it will be opened. 11 But of whom of you that is a father will a son ask bread? He will not give him a stone. And if he asks for a fish, he will not give a snake instead of a fish! 12 Or also, if he asks for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion! 13 Therefore if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father who is from out of heaven give the Holy Spirit to those asking him“
1) The relationship between the supplicant and Elohim (God)
The right relationship with Elohim is essential for prayers to be answered.
Friend
“… Who among you will have a friend and …” (v. 5).
This very first verse makes it clear that a relationship of friendship must exist between Elohim and man for Elohim to answer prayer. The words of Yehoshua (Jesus) convey that it is easy to ask something of Elohim. The only condition Yehoshua (Jesus) mentions is ‘being a friend’.
Father and child
“But of whom of you that is a father will a son ask bread …” (v. 11)
The father-child relationship is even more binding than a friendship. For the child has a legitimate claim to the father’s support and provision, whilst the father, in turn, has a duty towards the child. He has fathered the child and will therefore also provide for it.
2) Elohim’s role and attitude
The Hearer of Prayer
In Psalm 65:3, Elohim is described as follows: “O you that hear prayer. To you will all flesh come”.
This statement says it all. He always hears prayers – if it depends solely on him – as it is also written in Isaiah 59:1:
“Behold, the hand of YHWH is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear”.
Elohim’s good thoughts for us
It is not Elohim’s will that we should suffer first before receiving anything from him. Just as a father or mother has their children’s well-being at heart, so too does Elohim wish to see us happy.
That is why Jeremiah 29:11–14 says: “11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says YHWH, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then will you call upon me, and you will go and pray to me, and I will hearken to you. 13 And you will seek me, and find me, when you will search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, says YHWH“.
„18 YHWH is nigh to all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them“ (Psalm 145:18–19).
Elohim’s constancy
Elohim’s position and attitude as a friend and heavenly Father is clear and remains eternally true. He consistently desires only what is good for us.
„Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, near whom is no change, nor shadow of turning„ (James 1:17).
Elohim is therefore constant. If it were up to him, the following arrow diagram would always hold true:
Christian’s prayer
Elohim →→→→→→→→→→→→ unconditional answer to prayer
What, then, is the reason for our unanswered prayers?
3) The Role and Attitude of the Prayer
The variable in the above equation is the Christian, that is, the person praying. Doubt, apostasy and error repeatedly doom their endeavours before Elohim to failure. We shall therefore see below how the attitude of the heart of the person praying influences the answer to prayer.
Revising erroneous views about Elohim
It is not for nothing that Yaakov (James) urges us:
„16 Do not be led astray, my beloved brothers: 17 Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, near whom is no change, nor shadow of turning“ (James 1:16–17).
We must rethink the way we view Elohim. We sometimes feel comfortable in our difficult situation insofar as we see ourselves as martyrs who are „destined to suffer“. Elohim’s view is different. He does not approve of our suffering.
Keep praying until the breakthrough
In the Book of Yehoshua (Joshua), we learn that perseverance in prayer is sometimes needed to achieve a breakthrough. Yehoshua (Joshua) was instructed by the Lord to march around the city of Yeriycho (Jericho) for six days with warriors and priests, before the walls collapsed on the seventh day during the final circuit (Joshua 6). In the meantime, the Israelites were exposed to the mockery of their enemies, who undoubtedly sought to rob them of any hope of victory or a miracle.
Yehoshua (Jesus) also told his disciples a parable intended to encourage them to pray until they had received what they had asked for:
„1 But he also spoke a parable to them that it is always necessary to pray and not be weary, 2 saying: There was in a city a judge, not fearing Elohim and not respecting human. 3 And there was a widow in that city, and she was coming to him, saying: Do me justice on my adversary! 4 And he would not for a time. But afterward he said within himself: Though I do not fear Elohim and do not respect human, 5 yet, because this widow troubles me, I will do her justice, or else she will wear me out by her continual coming. 6 And the Lord said: Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will Elohim not execute the avenging of his elect who are crying to him day and night, though he exercises patience with them? 8 I say to you that he will execute their avenging quickly. But the Son of human having come, will he find faith on the Earth?“ (Luke 18:1–8).
Praying in faith
Yehoshua’s parable makes it clear to us that the answer to prayer essentially depends on the faith of the one praying. We must never forget Elohim’s attitude towards us, namely his good plans for us, which we heard about earlier. Then even prayers such as “Do this at some point…” or “If possible, then…” will change to “We need this now… Do this for me, dear Father!” An inner certainty arises that Elohim hears my prayer and that I may expect immediate results:
„And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him“ (1 John 5:15).
Formal prayers thus give way to genuine prayers of faith! Yehoshua, in turn, taught his disciples this kind of faith:
„20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Petros remembering, says to him: Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which you cursed has withered away. 22 And Yehoshua answering, says to them: Have faith in Elohim. 23 Amen, for I say to you that whoever says to this mountain: Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I say to you: Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive, and it will be yours„ (Mark 11:20–24).
The day before, Yehoshua had prayed only briefly that the fig tree should wither, and it had already happened overnight. So we too may pray that our fruitless works may disappear from our lives or that all curses in our lives may be nullified.
A lack of willingness to forgive as a barrier
Yehoshua tells us: „25 And when you stand to offer prayers, if you have anything against anyone, remit him, so that your Father who is in the heavens may also remit you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not remit him, neither will your Father who is in the heavens remit your trespasses“ (Mark 11:25–26).
Doubt and a lack of assurance of salvation as a barrier
Yaakov expresses human inconsistency with these words:
„6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting. For he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that human think that he will receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is inconstant in all his ways„ (James 1:6–8).
On the one hand, doubt stems from our mistaken view of Elohim, when we unjustifiably ask ourselves whether the request is also Elohim’s will. On the other hand, doubt also arises from a lack of certainty regarding one’s own salvation and the authority that comes with it. Anyone who is not entirely sure whether they are saved also cannot be certain whether Yehoshua has answered their prayer and whether they themselves even have the power to „trample on serpents and scorpions“ (Luke 10:19).
A person described as „a double-minded man […] inconsistent in all his ways„ (Yaakov/James 1:8) does not take Elohim’s commandments very seriously and therefore has pangs of conscience.
„21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward Elohim. 22 And whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do the things that are pleasing before him„ (1 John 3:21–22).
Our sins and idols as obstacles
Numerous Bible passages demonstrate that Elohim only answers the prayers of those with a pure heart. Here is a list:
„Now we know that Elohim does not hear sinners, but if any man is pious and does his will, him he hears“ (John 9:31).
„1 Behold, the hand of YHWH is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your Elohim, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear„. (Isaiah 59:1–2).
„And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of bloods„ (Isaiah 1:15).
„If I regard iniquity in my heart, Adonay will not hear me“ (Psalm 66:18).
The Apostle James sums up the subject of answered prayer in his letter:
„2 You lust, and have not. You murder, and are jealous, and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you have not, because you ask not. 3 You ask, and receive not, because you ask wrongly, that you may waste it on your pleasures„ (James 4:2–3).
There is nothing more to add to that!
To be blessed in order to bless others
Instead of – as we have just read – ‘squandering’ what we have received ‘on our own desires’, others must also benefit from the answer to our prayers. It is clear from our opening passage in the Gospel of Luke that we are not to receive these good gifts solely for ourselves, but to pass them on to others:
„since a friend of mine in his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him“ (Luke 11:6).
In this way, Elohim is glorified and other people can come to know Him and draw closer to Him.
„Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens“ (Matthew 5:16).
If, for example, you have received material goods or have been blessed in your career, you will also give to the poor. Or if the Lord has answered your prayer for spiritual gifts, you must also use these for the good of humanity!
Delight in the Lord
Ultimately, then, whether our prayers are answered depends on whether Elohim’s will is important to us, as Psalm 37:3–5 teaches us:
„3 Trust in YHWH, and do good; so will you dwell in the land, and verily you will be fed. 4 And take delicate pleasures in YHWH, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to YHWH; trust also in him; and he will bring it to pass“.
For those who delight in the Lord, other things in life fade into the background. And those for whom Elohim is important in life will also experience success in prayer. We have already read above that „he seeking finds“ (Luke 11:10). This is about seeking Elohim and His will for our lives.
4) Elohim has the final say
Ultimately, we must accept Elohim’s sovereign will. You may fulfil all human conditions, yet the Lord has a different plan. Or someone may pray whilst in a state of impurity, yet Elohim shows mercy and hears them nonetheless. We must therefore humbly acknowledge: Elohim does what He wills, with whom He wills, when He wills and how He wills: „not my will, but yours be done„ (Matthew 6:10; Luke 22:42; Acts 21:14)!
5) The prayer guaranteed to have an immediate effect!
This section is for all those who wish to learn about a prayer that is guaranteed to be answered immediately. We have previously read that Elohim is „far from the wicked“. Yet it is equally true that He „hears the prayer of the righteous“ (Proverbs 15:29).
Since our Elohim is a merciful Elohim, we may therefore come to Him again and again in faith to lay our sins before Him and ask for forgiveness. The Lord loves this kind of prayer, for this is precisely why He died for us on the cross. If meant sincerely, it is a prayer in accordance with His will, and by doing so you show that you have a desire for Elohim and His commandments.
In the Bible we read in several places that Elohim is „slow to anger“ (Nehemiah 9:17) and quick and willing to forgive. This swift forgiveness of Elohim was shown to a Christian in a dream: in it, she found herself with other people in a lift that was travelling downwards. This was a rather frightening and hopeless feeling. So she suddenly prayed in the dream: „Lord, forgive me!“ At that very moment, she shot upwards and was free. She could no longer see the other people.
Elohim wanted to show her —and us— that forgiveness is immediate. It was the prompt effect of a sincere prayer. Elohim does not hold a grudge. He answers your plea for forgiveness immediately: this is what we are to accept in faith!
„2 Bless YHWH, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeemeth your life from destruction; who crowneth you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. […] 8 YHWH is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. […] 10 He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities“ (Psalm 103:2–4, 8, 10)