Many of us are familiar with the parable of the Friend at Midnight found in the eleventh chapter of Luke’s Gospel. Here is the parable as I hear it… (Luke 11:5-12 ESV)
Routine is essential in the one-room house that Jack shares with his wife and five children. The little ones are tucked in bed by their mother, while the older ones finish their chores under their father’s watchful eye before they, too, climb into bed. Jack stands at the front doorway, watching as their pet goat, along with a few feathered friends, bully their way past the donkey to gain access into the house. Then, Jack secures the door with a wooden bar, extinguishes the candle and kisses his wife good night.
Meanwhile, a traveler walks along a darkened road. Without the luxury of an air-conditioned camel, he has no choice but to avoid the intense heat by traveling after sundown. Walking quickly, he reaches his destination shortly before midnight and surprises his best friend, Dave, with an unexpected visit.
Stunned by his friend’s surprise visit, Dave experiences a series of cascading emotions, starting with delight and ending in dismay. The horror written across his wife’s face affirms his worst suspicions. Their growing family consumed every morsel of bread baked the previous morning. Without a local twenty-four hour pizza delivery, they have nothing to offer their unexpected houseguest. To make matters worse, hospitality is sacred in their culture. A host or hostess, whose cupboard is bare when guests arrive, suffers humiliation and deep shame. Dave has no choice but to pay his next-door neighbor a late-night visit. His neighbor is Jack.
Rap! Rap!
Jack groans. “Go away.”
Rap! Rap! Rap!
“Go away! We’re asleep.”
“Please, neighbor,” Dave begs. “Could you spare three loaves of bread?”
“Daddy, who is it?”
“Nobody. Go back to sleep,” Jack whispers.
Rap! Rap! Rap! Rap!
“Please open the door,” the persistent neighbor pleads. “My best friend arrived unexpectedly, just before midnight, and I have no food.”
“We’re asleep,” Jack replies.
Rap-rap! Rap-rap!
Throwing off his covers, Jack storms out of the bed, awakening the entire household in the process. Including the goat, two roosters, and three hens.
***
Jesus masterfully employs parables to teach and illustrate divine truths. A parable is a simple story with two levels of meaning. The first level is concrete and easy to understand. It contains a narrative with a familiar setting and engaging storyline. The next level, which can be more difficult to grasp, contains the underlying message. Comprehension of the second level depends on the heart of its listener.
The word parable means something laid alongside another. Our Lord uses parables either to compare or contrast things by noting their similarities or differences.
Jesus compares God and Jack in this story and shows how the two are diametrically opposed. God is sympathetic to our plight. Unlike Jack, he is compassionate, merciful and the essence of sacrificial love. We can approach our heavenly Father anytime, assured of the fact that his door is already open.
Jesus also uses this parable to demonstrate how we should pray. He tells us to be as relentless in our prayer life as Dave is in obtaining three loaves of bread from his neighbor. This allegory encourages us to pray continuously without losing heart. God doesn’t always answer our prayers according to our timeline; however, he always answers them. Jesus follows the parable of the “Friend at Midnight” with a well-known Scripture verse: “‘And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you’” (Luke 11:9 ESV). Using the present imperative form of the verbs, Jesus commands us to keep on asking. keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. In other words, Jesus wants us to pray not only with patience but with persistence.
True Example About Patient and Persistent Prayer:
Janice’s granddaughter became heavily involved in alcohol and drugs when she was in high school. She continued partying, sleeping through her first and only semester of college. Her parents committed her to every drug and rehab hospital in their state, plus one in a neighboring state. All to no avail.
Meanwhile, Janice never stopped praying.
Her granddaughter dropped out of college and had two babies out of wedlock by different fathers. By God’s grace, she stayed clean for both pregnancies and signed over custody to the child’s fathers before she left. These precious babies are Janice’s great-grandchildren.
Understandably, Janice experienced periods of doubt and despair, especially as her granddaughter’s addiction worsened. During the darkest hours, Janice’s church friends, many of whom were grandparents, hugged her and reminded her, “Sometimes all a grandmother can do is pray.”
One day, Janice’s granddaughter disappeared. When she came home several months later, she was clean and sober. She had been arrested, provided state’s evidence, and was instrumental in putting the entire meth ring behind bars. She asked her parents for one more chance; of course, they welcomed her home with open arms. Now, at the age of twenty-nine, she is getting healthy for the first time since middle school. She is working on her career and gradually forming a relationship with her children.
Janice’s story arrived in my email box with one comment: “Sherry, if our story can encourage another grandmother, please use it.”
Thanks, Janice. I did!
Closing Thoughts:
If you are a grandparent whose heart is breaking for your grandchild, please don’t stop praying! Gather a group of prayer warriors around you who will pray alongside you and be a pillar of faith when your faith wavers. After all, Jesus commanded, “Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10, NLT).
Prayer for Grandparents:
Dearest Lord Jesus,
We hope our prayers aren’t a reflection of the culture in which we live. A culture ruled by instant gratification where we expect to have our desires met without delay. A culture where the words diligence and dedication, persistence and perseverance, are slipping from our vocabulary, as well as our lifestyle.
We want to be diligent and persistent in our prayer life. We want to “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12 ESV). We want to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17 ESV). Please help us, Lord.
Amen.
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