Dear Christian friends:

Prayer is the same as breathing. If your body is breathing, you are alive. If you stop breathing, you are dead. It is the same with prayer. If you pray, your spirit is alive; but if you do not pray, your spirit is dead.

Do you pray? The Bible commands, "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Prayer for us Christians should be as natural as breathing. But I suspect that many church members do not pray much. Prayer for many of us is not natural. We need encouragement to pray more. Here in our text Jesus encourages us to pray. He tells us that


We hear people's prayers to us. If we who are sinners hear people's prayers and answer their prayers, much more will the holy and mighty God hear and answer prayers.

In our text Jesus reminds us that we hear people's prayers and give to them what they ask. Jesus explains about a man that had a visitor come to his house one night and the man had nothing in the house to serve his guest. The stores were all closed, so he could not go and buy any bread for his guest. So he went to his friend's house and asked his friend for some bread, and the friend gave him all the bread he wanted. (verses 5-8)

I'm sure that you have often done the same for your friends. You gave them various things when they asked you, especially if they asked and asked and asked, continually bothering you.

Also parents give things to their children when the children ask them. Jesus tells us about that in our text. (verses 10-12) Really we have much pleasure when we can give our dear children the clothes and toys they they need and ask for. Sometimes we can't give them what they ask, because we don't have enough money. Then we feel sad to disappoint them. Sometimes we do not give the children what they ask for, because we know that certain things might harm them. If they ask for too much candy, we will not give that to them. We know that too much candy is not good for their teeth and health.

We are always giving things to our friends and family members who ask us, and we know how to give good gifts to them. We have much pleasure when we can give good and needed things to our family members and friends.

Same, yes, much more, God, our Father in heaven, has pleasure when we ask Him and pray to Him. He is waiting and eager to hear our prayers. Why?

Why? He is our dear Father and we are His dear children. True, we are sinners, and do not deserve that God should hear and answer our prayers. In our text Jesus calls us sinners. (verse 13a) But, nevertheless, Jesus teaches us to pray to God and call Him, "Our Father." (verse 2) God has adopted us as His children because of Jesus' saving work. (Galatians 4:4- 5) God has shown mercy to us and has forgiven all our sins and wrongs through His Son who suffered our sin and punishment upon the Cross. If we confess our sins to Him and believe in Jesus, He forgives us and hears and answers our prayers.

Therefore, when Jesus taught His disciples to pray the Lord's Prayer He told them to call God "Father." Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven." "By these words Jesus tenderly invites us to believe that God is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that we may with all boldness and confidence ask Him as dear children ask their dear father." (Martin Luther)

Jesus also teaches us to pray until our Father in heaven answers our prayers and gives us what we need. We should not stop praying when God delays to answer and give us what we need. If it is something He has promised and something we really need we should not stop praying for it. The man who came to his friend during the night and asked for bread did not stop asking when the friend first told him, "Don't bother me. The door is locked and my family is in bed. I can't give you anything." (verse 7) The man continued asking, asking and asking. So, finally, the friend got up and gave him the bread. (verse 8) Same Jesus teaches us to pray to God. Ask, ask, ask! Don't stop!

Jesus promises: "Ask, and it will be given to you. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Because anyone that asks will receive and anyone that searches will find, and anyone that knocks for him the door will be opened." (verses 9-10) By these words Jesus teaches us to pray with faith and confidence, nothing doubting!

Jesus even teaches us the exact things for which we should pray, the exact things God wants to give us. Often someone will say to me, "I don't know what I should pray or ask from God. I am so dumb." Perhaps you feel the same often. Well, study the Lord's Prayer. In the Lord's Prayer Jesus teaches us exactly what we should ask from God when we pray. In the Lord's Prayer we find a list of the "good gifts" our Father in heaven is eager to give to us.

What are these good gifts? Jesus teaches us to pray:"Hallowed be Thy name." These words are a prayer for pure doctrine in the Church. Jesus teaches us to pray: "Thy Kingdom come." These words are a prayer for faith. Jesus teaches us to pray: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." These words are a prayer for God's good and kind will to happen and the devil's will to be hindered. Jesus teaches us to pray: "Give us this day our daily bread." These words are a prayer for all things our body needs, such as food, drink, clothes, house, police, friends and good neighbors, wife, children etc.

Jesus teaches us to pray: "And forgive give us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." These words are a prayer for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus teaches us to pray: "And lead us not into temptation." These words are a prayer for protection against despair. Jesus teaches us to pray:"But deliver us from evil." These words are a prayer for freedom from all bad happenings. Here in the Lord's Prayer we have the list of the good things God wants to give us. So, study that list often and pray for these good things daily, either use the Lord's Prayer or your own prayer.

God, our Father in heaven, is willing to hear our prayers, and He has many good things to give us. Let us go daily to Him in Prayer, and He will make us rich with His many blessings.

Amen.