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Luke 11:7-8 "[A]nd he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'"? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs." This is the story of the neighbor who goes to his friend's house at midnight asking for food for a visitor. It precedes Jesus telling us to "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Luke 11:9)

 

Here we see God's children, comfortable and secure with Him, safe behind the closed door that keeps out the darkness. But what if we find ourselves on the other side of that door, needy, in the middle of the night? Most of us spend a good deal of our lives on the other side, actually. It is when we wake up and realize we need what God has to offer that we seek Him out in prayer. This can be intimidating, we can think God doesn't want us to "bother" Him, and He has all his faithful children with Him already anyway, does He really want to come open the door for us at midnight? We can think we should have come to Him sooner, rather than waiting until the darkest times of our lives.

 

But Jesus tells us not to think that way. He tells us to always approach God - to seek, to ask, to knock, any time, day or night. Even if we've been far astray and do not think of ourselves as God's friend, He will get up and give us anything we need. And we will hopefully, eventually, become His friends, forever secure with His children on the safe side of the door.