“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;6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 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.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “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. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13 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!” Luke 11.5-13
The gift which is given, and valued above all in this passage is mentioned by Jesus in v.13 and it’s the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is discussing gift giving and tells a story about a man who needs some food to feed a friend returning from a journey. The “ask” is what matters here. Even though the man is in bed and his entire family is asleep, he will get up because of the “audacity” of the ask. Which is why Jesus says, “Ask and it be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.”
Ask, seek, knock and find. This pertains to our relationship to God and in this life on earth. We are to ask God for his Spirit, his goodness, his blessing and his best. Then we are to seek that out. After we seek and knock we find that which God has given for us. The process of asking, seeking, knocking and finding is known as discernment. Discerning in the Spirit involves wrestling with God in such a way as to discover his will for our lives and to live with him through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says that just as we who are evil, “know how to give good gifts to our children,” “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
The process of discernment is indeed a process. It involves a time of asking, seeking, knocking and finding. This pattern is repeated as we walk with Lord, discover his plan, and walk in his purposes.
Today our challenge is to seek the Father through prayer and discernment. God wants to be in a relationship with you and if you ask him, he will not only give you a purpose for living but his very Spirit will reside within your heart.
“O Lord God, you are good. I thank you for your beauty and for you love. I am sitting near a beach in Mexico, watching the waves, the mountains and your incredible creation. Thank you for the gift of life, for the goodness of this day and for the benefit of your Spirit. Come now, Holy Spirit, reside with me, my family and all I know. Fill us with your passion and love that we might be all you have called and created us to become. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen