Shameless audacity

Luke 11

Shameless audacity.

The disciples had just asked Jesus to teach them to pray. He taught them what we call the Lord’s Prayer. You might say with this instruction he taught them what to pray.

After that he continued to teach them about how to pray.

“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; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 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.’ 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.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”’

Mary and I are fast approaching a fork in the road of our lives. We will need to make a choice that will radically alter our future, where we call home. We need wisdom. One direction that we might go has need of huge miraculous provision. The other direction has needs of huge miraculous provision. No matter what we do or where we go we need God to do miraculous things for us.

I am not in the habit of entering the throne room of God in an attitude of shameless audacity. But that is what I am needing to do. How can a person adopt an attitude of shameless audacity? It starts with a relationship and is built on trusting in that relationship. I had a discussion with my wife Mary who said she doesn’t have a problem with asking God for big things, huge things. The reason for her confidence is that she trusts in and believes that God loves her and delights in her. She gets that from her relationship with her earthly father who loved and delighted in her. (Note to fathers, delight in your children so your kids have a better understanding of God as their Heavenly Father delighting in them).

My problem is I want to future proof my life. Meanwhile as I am living my life, my present life is completely a blessing that has come directly from God. There is no other explanation for the jobs we have and the home we live in our family of four plus eleven grandchildren. So I am not making sense. My experience of God has been that he blesses and guides and provides for his children. My rational brain keeps asking why? How long can this go on? When will he tire of me? Have I just been lucky so far, flying through life under his radar? As a follower of Jesus I feel like I shouldn’t have any of these fears and questions and yet I do.

Shameless audacity.

So from here on I am working towards a shameless audacity in my prayer life and I am working toward trust, and believing in a bigger future not monetarily or in fame or anything materialistic but yes in materials like a home and food and clothes and medicine because I am working out of God’s storehouse, my good and kind and gracious Father’s storehouse, God is not limited, my good father is not limited.

What did Jesus say?

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Also Paul said this in Philippians 4.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Shameless audacity. Ok here we go.