What is the character of Christian prayer?
Ray Ortlund:
“I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.” Luke 11:8
“Impudence” is the key word. Other versions show “importunity,” “persistence,” “boldness,” “shamelessness,” and “brazen insistence.” All good translations.
The word is anaideia. That’s the negative prefix an + aideia (“shame, respect, modesty”). Souter glosses it as “shameless persistence (e.g. in greed).” The ESV translates it “impudence.” More casually, we might call it “nerve.”
Jesus is teaching us to pray impudent, nervy prayers, because that’s when we get serious with God. He likes that, and doors start opening up. Matthew Henry: “We prevail with men by impudence because they are displeased with it, but with God because he is pleased with it.”
As we enter 2011, how are we praying? Do we have the nerve to ask God for what we really long for and what would really display his glory? Let’s not settle for polite prayers that bore us and change nothing.
This story from Mark Altrogge illustrates the point:
Two Sundays ago, as a young boy in our church was showing me his Star Wars Legos, he told me he wants to buy a Star Wars ship that costs $60. I asked how much he’d saved.
“Twelve dollars,” he said.
“Well, when you get up to $59, tell me and I’ll give you the last dollar.”
A few minutes later, I went back to him and said, “You know what? I’ll give you a dollar now instead of making you wait till later.” A huge smile spread across his face as he stared wide-eyed at the dollar bill.
A week later, last Sunday, as soon as he saw me, he made a beeline to me and asked, “Can you give me $38.00?”
“What?” I asked. “I just gave you a dollar last week, and now you’re coming and asking me for $38?”
Undaunted, he said, “Well, can you give me $50?”
So I said, “Sure. First you give me three little $20 bills, then I’ll give you a great big $50 bill.” He wrinkled his brow, and pursed his lips, pondering. After a few seconds he asked, “How about if you give me $70?”
What’s great about children is that when they want something they ask. They usually aren’t afraid to ask their parents for anything they’d like. Jesus told us to come to our Heavenly Father and ask, seek and knock, boldly and persistently. Yet so often we try everything else first.
We tackle situations with our children without seeking God’s wisdom. We try to push through hard times on our own. We’ll figure it out. We can solve this. Rather than ask God for help, we try live by our wits.
Why do we do this? Because we’re self-sufficient.
We don’t rely on God. We say we need him, but often act as if we don’t.
The sure sign of self-sufficiency is prayerlessness.
James says, “You do not have because you do not ask” (4.2). You lack strength because you don’t pray for it. You lack joy because you don’t ask Jesus to fill you. You lack wisdom because you don’t seek it from God. When we’re self-sufficient, we don’t pray, and we don’t receive.
So be like a child. Ask God for whatever you need. He won’t refuse you $38 if it’s his will and for his glory.
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