Daily Gospel Reflection for October 12, 2023

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Luke 11:5-13

Prayer can be a frustrating proposition. Continuous knocking and waiting with no answer. I have spent many early mornings and long nights being Jesus’s annoying nextdoor neighbor. I have asked nicely, then not so nicely, then outright screamed to ask Him if He’s even listening. Have you ever been there?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives the illustration of a man who goes to his friend’s house at midnight, asking for three loaves of bread for his house guest who has come from a long journey. The man does not want to get up and attend to his friend’s needs because it is late and his kids are already in bed. But Jesus says that even if the man doesn’t get up because of their friendship, he will get up because of his persistence.

At first glance, this is a strange analogy to be placed in a Gospel passage. Why would Jesus tell us this parable? It’s because he is trying to get a very important point across to us - be persistent in prayer.

Jesus teaches us that prayer opens doors, and that the more persistent that we are to find God, the more He shows up. The very act of prayer is a relinquishing of our own will and a seeking of God’s. We are that man at God’s door at midnight asking Him for the food we need.

"Give us this day our daily bread" are not just words we say in the Our Father, they are persistent prayers we pray to God to open the Kingdom of Heaven. As we become more in tune with the Holy Spirit, our prayers become more refined and our asks become aligned with God’s. This is the lesson Jesus is trying to teach us.

Ponder:

When was the last time you asked the Holy Spirit how to pray?

Pray:

Holy Spirit, refine my prayers to be in line with what the Lord wills. Then, carry them all to Jesus.

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Jesus teaches us that prayer opens doors, and that the more persistent that we are to find God, the more He shows up. #DailyGospel

Copyright 2023 Melissa Presser