Jesus tells us to ask, seek, find

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He had finished, one of His closest followers asked Him to teach them to pray as John the Baptist had taught His followers. And Jesus answered by saying, When you’re praying, say:

Father, keep Your name holy in us.
Into us, let Your kingdom come.

Each day give us what we can hold,
but let go of our sins as we console
others beholden to us, and oh,
do not give us too trying a time!

For a moment, Jesus paused then said to look at it like this.

Suppose you go to your friend at the very last hour to ask
for bread for an unexpected visitor who suddenly came
and caught you empty-handed. Feeling ashamed to have
nothing to give, you ask your friend to assist, but he resists
your request saying, “Go away, please! I have locked my door.
My kids are in bed, and if I get up, I’ll wake them for sure.”
I tell you, even though your friend won’t get out of bed to help
you as his friend, he will surely help you if you persist.

So what I’m saying is this:

Keep on asking,
and it will be given.
Keep on searching,
and you will find.
Keep on knocking,
and the door will open.

Believe
in the asking,
and you will
receive.

Think about it!
If your children ask you for fish,
would you wish on them snakes?
Or if your children ask for eggs,
would you give them the eggs of a spider?

You’re definitely not perfect, and yet you know
what’s good for your kids, so
don’t you think God knows
what good gifts to give?

Yes! And, oh, how much more will
our Father in Heaven
give the Holy Spirit to you who still
ask!

©2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of Luke 11:1-13 from today’s Daily Bible Readings in the Gospels

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Jesus prays for us

Prayer-a-phrase of Jesus' last prayer on earth:

Father,
I Am coming to You now!

Until now,
I’ve been telling My followers many things
so they might have My joy.

I have given them Your word,
but the world detests them
because they do not belong
to anyone but You.

I’m not asking You
to take My followers out of this world,
but I pray for You to protect them from
the evil one.

My followers do not belong
to worldliness anymore than I do.

Oh, Father, make them holy
by Your truth!

As You have sent Me into the world,
I now send them.

Let My sacrifice count as theirs –
the ones made holy by Your truth,
sanctified by My prayers.


© 2013, Mary Harwell Sayler, prayer-a-phrased of today’s Bible reading from John 17:13-19

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