Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (11:5–13)

A.W. Tozer opened his classic work on the attributes of God with the following astute and penetrating observations:

There is no clearer, more definitive benchmark of a person’s spiritual maturity than his or her view of God. The apostle John described the most spiritually mature individuals, the “fathers,” as those who “know Him who has been from the beginning” (1 John 2:13, 14). Paul wrote that his supreme goal was to know the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:10; cf. v. 8).

To be spiritually mature is to understand that God is eternal, omnipotent, holy, unchangeable, omniscient, omnipresent, majestic, and transcendent, above and beyond and outside of all contingencies in the universe He created. It is to know that He is sovereign, bringing to pass the perfect plan He ordained from the beginning. Humbled by God’s declaration of His power and sovereignty Job acknowledged, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2), because “the counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation” (Ps. 33:11). “Many plans are in a man’s heart,” said Solomon, “but the counsel of the Lord will stand” (Prov. 19:21). In Isaiah 46:9–10 the Lord declared, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’” (cf. 14:24; 43:13). In Acts 1:7 Jesus told the disciples that God has absolute, sovereign control over all the events of history, while the early church affirmed that even the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ, history’s most heinous act, was under God’s sovereign control: “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur” (Acts 4:27–28). In Ephesians 1:11 Paul affirmed that God “works all things after the counsel of His will.”

In light of God’s sovereign control of events and the inevitable outworking of His purpose and plan, the question arises as to whether believers’ prayers change anything. And since He is omniscient, God does not need more information, nor is He surprised by circumstances. Going to Him in prayer therefore seems to be little more than an unnecessary expression. But having a correct view of God’s nature and purposes does not squelch prayer; the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate, prayed to the Father (e.g., Matt. 26:39–44; Luke 10:21; John 11:41–42; 17:1–26), gave model prayers to teach believers to pray (Matt. 6:9–13; Luke 11:1–4), and commanded them to pray (Luke 18:1). God’s words addressed to Israel in Jeremiah 29 also make it clear that His sovereign purposes do not negate prayer. In verse 11 He said, “For I know the plans that I have for you … plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Still, in verse 12 He added, “You will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”

The first chapter of Nehemiah finds Israel in exile (v. 1). After hearing a report that Jerusalem was in ruins (vv. 2–3), Nehemiah “sat down and wept and mourned for days; and … was fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (v.4). That Nehemiah understood and accepted God’s sovereign control of events is evident from verse 5, where he referred to God as the “Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Yet understanding that truth did not keep Nehemiah from imploring God to take note of His people’s desperate situation: “Let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants” (v. 6).

The psalms record numerous pleas for God to hear and answer prayer:

In addition, Psalm 65:2 addresses God as “You who hear prayer” (cf. 77:1; 145:19).

But if prayer does not change God’s mind or plans, or give Him information He lacks, what purpose does it serve? The answer to that question lies in understanding that God not only ordains the ends He purposes to accomplish, but also the means to those ends. For example the Old Testament predicted that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2), but God used the decree of the pagan Roman emperor Augustus Caesar as a means of fulfilling His plan (Luke 2:1–4). Similarly, God used both the hostile Jews and the Romans as the means of carrying out His plan that Christ would be the sacrifice for the sins of His people (Acts 2:22–23). Because it is a God-ordained means to accomplish His purposes, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).

In this passage Jesus encourages believers to pray boldly. It may be divided into four sections: the parable, the promise, the principle, and the premise.

THE PARABLE

Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. (11:5–8)

Jesus illustrated the importance of boldness in prayer in a story unforgettable for its clarity and touch of humor. He said to those whom He had addressed his teaching on prayer (vv. 1–4), Suppose one of you has a friend. Philos (friend) refers to anyone held in affection, in this case a neighbor. In Israel, as throughout the ancient world, people were dependent on their neighbors. There were no grocery or convenience stores, or restaurants, nor did most people have large stockpiles of food. A man went to his neighbor at midnight, obviously not a normal time for a visit. In that day no one was up at that hour, since there was no TV, radio, or Internet. Most people went to bed shortly after nightfall, since they were awake and working shortly after sunrise. Arriving at his friend’s house he called out to him, Friend (a sensible greeting considering that he had come uninvited at a most inopportune time), lend me three loaves. These were not loaves in the modern sense, but the typical flat bread.

The man’s friend no doubt did not appreciate being awakened in the middle of the night for what seemingly was not an emergency. After all the first man had not been robbed, his wife was not having a baby, and no one had been injured or taken ill. But there was more to it than his seeking a midnight snack; there was an emergency, not a physical one, but a social one. As he went on to explain, A friend of mine has come to me from a journey. Travelling at night was not unusual during hot weather, and another friend had just arrived at his house. The traveler would have been hungry after his journey, and at this late hour, the man had nothing to set before him to eat. Since hospitality was an important social duty in the ancient world (Gen. 19:8), and particularly in Israel (cf. Gen. 18:1–8), he faced a difficult dilemma. Either he could be a poor host to his guest by letting him go hungry, or a poor neighbor to his friend by waking him up in the middle of the night. He chose the latter.

The predictable response from his neighbor inside the house was, Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything. Doors were often made of wood and iron, and opening one could be noisy enough to wake the entire household. As was customary in the typical one-room houses of the time, the man’s children were in bed with him (families often slept on one large mat), so by getting out of bed he would disturb the entire family. He therefore refused to get up and give his friend anything.

Skipping any further dialogue, the Lord jumped straight to the point of the story: I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. Despite the initial rebuff, the man stubbornly refused to give up. In the end, his friend realized that the ongoing dialogue was going to awaken his children anyway (along with everyone else living nearby). So even though he would not get up and give him anything because he was his friend, yet because of his persistence he finally got up and gave him as much as he needed. Persistence (anaideia) means “shamelessness,” “insolence,” “audacity,” “boldness”; today his behavior might be characterized by the Yiddish term “chutzpah.” His shameless persistence succeeded where friendship failed, and the food he needed was set before the guest.

THE PROMISE

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. (11:9–10)

The parable illustrates an incredible promise. The use of the personal pronoun in addition to the first person form of the verb in the Lord’s statement I say to you adds emphasis. As God incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks with the voice of absolute divine authority. Using three present tense imperative verbs, the Lord commands believers to boldly, aggressively storm the gates of heaven. The three verbs, ask, seek, and knock are progressively more intense, and each one repeats the promise: to those who ask … it will be given; those who seek … will find; those who knock … will find heaven’s doors opened to them. Jesus then repeated this amazing promise so there would be no mistaking His meaning: For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

This promise is not a blank check granting people whatever they wish, since it has already been qualified by the Lord’s teaching in verses 2–4 that God is the focus of all true prayer. James struck this same balance between boldness in prayer and selfish greed. In James 4:2 he rebuked his readers for failing to pray boldly: “You do not have because you do not ask.” But then he went on to warn, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (v. 3). Those who pray with a proper, God-centered focus will receive what they desire, but the selfish requests of the greedy will not be granted.

THE PRINCIPLE

Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? (11:11–12)

The parable illustrates the promise and that promise in turn rests on a principle. That principle is couched in the common Jewish pattern of reasoning from the lesser to the greater. It raises the level of the discussion from friendship to fatherhood; if a person would respond to a bold request from a friend, how much more so would a father respond to his children?

Jesus introduced the principle by posing two hypothetical questions to His audience. Suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish, He said. Children, of course, can be expected to ask their fathers for what they need. They understand that the relationship between them and their father is one of love, care, responsibility, and affection. That gives them the confidence that they will receive what they ask for. Therefore if a father is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? No normal father would mock his child’s hunger by giving him a deadly snake instead of the fish he requested. Nor if he is asked for an egg would he give him a scorpion—another unsavory and dangerous creature—or an inedible stone instead of bread (Matt. 7:9).

The obvious answer to Christ’s questions is no, because of the principle that fathers take care of their children and meet their needs. Knowing their heavenly Father’s care for them and commitment to meet their needs, believers can confidently ask Him for all that they need. Unlike the false gods of pagan religions, God is loving, approachable, and generous.

THE PREMISE

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? (11:13)

This premise, expressed in the form of a comparison, is the foundation upon which the whole discussion rests. Christ’s opening words, If you then, being evil, express the biblical doctrine of total or radical depravity. Even His true followers, those who had embraced Him as Lord, Savior, and Messiah, were still evil (ponēros; “bad,” “wicked,” “worthless”; also used as a title for Satan [Matt. 13:19, 38; John 17:15; Eph. 6:16; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 John 2:13, 14; 3:12; 5:18, 19]). Significantly, the Lord did not say that they do evil, but rather that they are evil. Though they are redeemed and forgiven, sin remains a powerful operative principle in believers (Rom. 7:14–25). Yet despite being evil, human fathers still know how to give good gifts to their children. It is natural for even unbelievers to love their children, be kind to them, and provide for their needs. The image of God in that sense in people, though warped and scarred by the fall, is nonetheless still present.

The contrasting phrase how much more is the key to the Lord’s point. Reasoning from the lesser to the greater, if human fathers who are sinners, who love imperfectly, and often lack the wisdom to know what is best for their children lovingly provide for them, how much more will God, who is absolutely holy, loves perfectly (cf. John 13:1), and has infinite wisdom give what is best to His children. As the psalmist wrote, “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11; cf. 34:9–10; Matt. 6:33; Phil. 4:19).

Then Jesus concluded His point by promising that believers’ heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. This is an intriguing statement, which differs from the Lord’s teaching of this same truth on a different occasion, as recorded in Matthew 7:11. There He spoke of the Father giving what is good; here He expanded that and spoke of God’s giving the Spirit, who is the source of all goodness and blessing, to live within every believer.

To those who ask for a gift, He gives the giver; to those who ask for an effect, He gives the cause; to those who ask for a product He gives the source; to those seeking comfort He gives the comforter (Acts 9:31); to those seeking power He gives the source of power (Acts 1:8); to those seeking help He gives the helper (John 14:26); to those seeking truth He gives the Spirit of truth (John 16:13); to those seeking “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23) He gives the producer of all those things. The indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9, 11; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14) is the source of every good thing in the Christian’s life (Eph. 3:20).

Though the New Testament would bring more complete revelation concerning the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Jews of Jesus’ day were familiar with the Old Testament revelation concerning Him. They understood that He was involved in the creation (Gen. 1:2; cf. Job 33:4). Further, they knew that the Holy Spirit was associated with the coming of the Messiah (Isa. 61:1–3; cf. Joel 2:28–29, which was partially fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost [Acts 2:16–21]). They also understood that Messiah would send the Spirit to regenerate (Titus 3:5) and indwell those who put their faith in Him (Ezek. 36:25–27; cf. John 7:38–39; 14:16–17, 25–26; Titus 3:5).

The Holy Spirit is the cause of every truly good thing in the life of a Christian. He convicts unbelieving sinners, enabling them to be aware of and repent of their sin (John 16:8). They enter God’s kingdom of salvation by being born of the Spirit (John 3:5–8) in regeneration (Titus 3:5) and confessing Jesus as Lord through the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). It is through the Holy Spirit that they receive the knowledge of God (1 Cor. 2:11–12)—knowledge not understood by the unregenerate (v. 14). The Spirit frees believers from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:17) and seals them for eternal life (Eph. 1:13; 4:30). They are baptized with the Spirit, placing them in the church, the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13), indwelt by the Spirit (Rom. 8:9, 11; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14), and filled (controlled, empowered by) with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). The Holy Spirit empowers believers for evangelism (Acts 1:8), intercedes for them (Rom. 8:26), sanctifies them (1 Cor. 6:11), makes them progressively more like Christ (2 Cor. 3:18), pours out God’s love into their hearts (Rom. 5:5), and gives them hope (Rom. 15:13).

Bold, confident prayer results in communion with God and all the rich blessings of His goodness as believers experience the reality that He “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20).