What do you do when you have prayed for years and hear only silence, as if a door had been shut in your face? The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and he gave them not only the words of the Lord’s Prayer but also the story of a man knocking on a friend’s door at midnight (Luke 11). This sermon speaks about persistence, about God answering differently than we expect, and about the gift we need more than the requests we make. Listen if you want to stop chasing the gifts and start seeking the Giver.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The disciples ask Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). What does this request reveal about what prayer is and how we learn it?
- Jesus teaches us to address God as "Father", a word of closeness, like "Daddy". How does thinking of God as a loving father rather than a distant ruler change the way you pray?
- In the parable a friend knocks at a locked door at midnight. How do you experience times when your prayers are met with silence, and what helps you keep praying?
- The preacher stressed that prayer is not a transaction or a way to force something out of God. Where do you notice a temptation in yourself to treat prayer that way?
- Joseph's story shows that God's presence turned out to be the greatest gift in the hardest season. Why do you think Jesus in Luke 11:13 promises the Holy Spirit to those who ask?
- The boy with the coin was happier about the gift than about the time with his dad. How can you seek the Giver more than the gifts in your prayers this week?
