While the petitions of the Lord's Prayer are chiefly for ourselves, the friend's petition at midnight is for himself, for the benefit of another. It is indirectly intercessory. A friend of his has come from a journey. The man is hungry. He must give him something to eat, but he has nothing to set before him. He has a friend near, however, who has bread. So to him he will go, and keep asking and knocking till he gets what he needs. The case is urgent, and the appeal proportionately earnest and continued. Now even a human friend (making all allowance for the limitations of human friendship) will yield to such an attack, if not for friendship's sake alone, at least to be rid of the constant bother. And the unspoken inference is: "How much more shall our rich Friend in heaven grant us what we plead for!" For we, too, have friends round about us here and there--acquaintances, associates, relatives, wayfarers--unhappy, unsaved; hungering, though unconsciously, for the Bread of Life. And how often have we felt impotent to help their case and had nothing to set before them! What shall we do, therefore, but go to the Friend who has all and delighteth to give, and obtain from Him the wherewithal to set before the needy friend that has come to us for help? If such is your request, then keep right on with good courage; be not put off by any delay. Your cause is God's cause in this matter. Your interests are identical with God's. It is a matter of partnership. The answer must come; it will come. And, mark it, He will give to you that you may be able to give to the other, He will bless you that you may be a blessing. For the bread you give to the hungry friend shall be first of all yours, and your own highest happiness and salvation shall come to you in just this endeavor to obtain from God the blessing for others.

      The Lord draws the conclusion: "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." And that is, in the context light: Ask, and keep on asking; seek, and keep on seeking; knock, and keep on knocking. "For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Whereupon he falls back upon the Fatherhood of God toward those who through Christ are His children. For He is not a Friend only; He is also a Father. And what father among men would mock the request of his child by giving him that which cannot satisfy his real desires and would even be harmful? Human nature is an evil thing; but even so they would not be guilty of such an act. "How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him!" Matthew, in the parallel passage, has "give good things;" but in Luke (as if [59] every imaginable good thing were summed up in the gift of the Holy Spirit) it says that the Father will give the Holy Spirit to His children that ask Him.

      There has been some dispute among Christians whether now, seeing that the Spirit came on Pentecost to abide with us forever, and seeing that every child of God has received the Holy Spirit--whether it is proper now to pray for the Holy Spirit; for Luke 11:13, above referred to was spoken before Pentecost. Could that prayer be intelligently offered now? The difficulty lies only in the assumption that because the Spirit came there is no further scope for praying for the Spirit; and since we all received the Spirit when we became children of God, there is no further need in regard to that point. Certainly the event of Pentecost (the descent of the Spirit from heaven) cannot be repeated. But note that on Christians already in possession of the Holy Spirit the apostle enjoins the commandment: "Be filled with the Spirit." (Eph. 5:18.)

      Now a commandment always gives scope for prayer, especially a commandment which involves the obtaining of something God alone can supply. If, for instance, we are commanded to "be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might," it is then in order for me (while not neglecting other necessary steps) to pray that God may so strengthen me with His own power and might. (See Col. 1:11.) The very commandment makes prayer to that effect proper--yea, and necessary. So here also. If God says, "Be filled with the Spirit;" the way is open for me to say, "Father, fill me with thy Spirit;" and that with the assurance that He will hear and not withhold. For the Spirit may always be received in greater fulness. Some days after Pentecost the apostles and disciples found themselves facing human opposition and persecution. They realized then the great need of the hour--the need of boldness, that they might not shrink from declaring the word, and they united with their company in a simple, earnest prayer for boldness. (Acts 4.) And God answered, The place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they (although they were the very ones that had been baptized with the Spirit on Pentecost) were all filled with the Holy Spirit. "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit" on Pentecost, but now they are filled again. And what was the result? They had prayed for boldness. God gave them a new filling of the Spirit, which is elsewhere described as not being "a spirit of fearfulness, but of power and love and discipline." And immediately it is added: "And they spake the word of God with boldness." (Acts 4:31.) And that was after Pentecost. [60]

[CTOP 59-60]