Bible stories : The Parable of the Friend at Night? A word of caution is appropriate here. Never are we to approach God with impertinence or a demanding or disrespectful attitude. James tells us that we don’t have because we don’t ask, or we ask with the wrong motives (James 4:3). That God allows us to approach Him at all is an indication of His mercy and graciousness toward sinners. But He is our Abba Father (Romans 8:15), and we are His children. We come before Him as a child comes before his earthly father, in confidence that his father loves him and wants the best for him. And if this man would give his neighbor what he wanted not out of friendship, but just because of his shameless boldness, how much more will God, who loves us perfectly, give us when we come into His presence?
Upon reflecting on these three verbs, “Richard Glover suggests that a child, if his mother is near and visible, asks; if she is neither, he seeks; while if she is inaccessible in her room, he knocks” (as cited by John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, p.184). I think Glover gets the metaphoric language of Jesus just about right. So, we are to keep on asking. This is what we do when we are certain that the one we are imploring is near and can hear. And we are to keep on seeking. This expects an action on our part. We have to actively look for the one we are imploring. And we are to keep on knocking. This expects further action after having located the one we are imploring. It pictures us as persistently banging on the door to get the person’s attention.
The question itself is quite long and extends from verse 5 through verse 7: NKJ Luke 11:5-7 [Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)] And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves [ἄρτος, bread or loaf of bread]; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you ‘?” See more details with the The Parable of the Friend at Night video on YouTube.
The reluctant friend can be persuaded to give in with the friend’s persistence. Yet our heavenly Father is different. He loves us so much He will not let Himself be persuaded to give in to us if He knows that what we request for is not good for ourselves. Jesus said that even earthly fathers will only give good things to their children — they will not give snakes or scorpions. Likewise, the heavenly Father will not give us something if it is not good for us. Therefore, when we are walking in God’s will and persistently praying for something but still have not received, one probable reason would be that what we have asked for is not good. Do we feel resentful when we ask for a long time for something but have not received? Thank God that He screens through our requests and gives us only the good ones. Think of the possible reasons why God may be withholding that thing from us. Through our own consideration, we may come up with the reasons why that thing may not be good for us.