The Friday after Exaudi Sunday
Posted on May 22, 2026 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 11:5-13 (NKJV)
11:5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
9 “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. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
11 “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 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!”
Devotion
Our sinful nature wants to make God conform to our image. The faithless want to call Him “father” on their own terms, even as they refuse to respect Him or submit to Him. Our Lord Jesus makes it clear that the Heavenly Father is more righteous—and more gracious—than any man or woman.
The verses that teach us to “ask… seek… knock” have sometimes been twisted and abused by false teachers. They misapply the words to assert that man has the power and will to “invite Jesus into his heart” or decide to believe and follow Him. But our Lord is teaching His disciples what faithful dependency looks like! He is elaborating on the Lord’s Prayer, and showing us how a faithful child should think and pray to our Heavenly Father.
Prayer does not force God to submit to our will. Faithful prayer is the fruit that shows the Holy Spirit is working in us, shaping our thoughts and words. Our Lord wants to help us and bless us, but that doesn’t mean He only wants to give us stuff. He wants us to grow stronger and more mature in our faith, and prayer is one of the exercises for that. We are to depend on Him for all our help and comfort, but we are also to give Him praise and thanks for all such things. Faithful prayer and meditation are how the Spirit helps us focus on our Heavenly Father’s grace toward us, especially in relation to His Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Collect: Almighty, Everlasting God, make us to have always a devout will toward Thee, and to serve Thy Majesty with a pure heart; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
