TU‘APULELULU FEPUELI 8
OUR HEAVENLY FRIEND
KO HOTAU KAUME‘A FAKALANGI
"Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him... I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you. LUKE 11:5-9
LUKE 11:5-9
5 Na‘a ne pehē foki kiate kinautolu, Tau lau ko hamou toko taha ‘oku ai hono kaume‘a; pea ne ‘alu kiate ia ‘i he tu‘uapō, ‘o lea ange, ‘Alā, ke ke tuku mai ha fo‘i mā ‘e tolu: 6 he ko e kāinga ‘o‘oku kuo afe mai kiate au, pea ‘oku ‘ikai ha‘aku me‘a mōno tali. 7 Pea tali ‘e ia mei fale, ‘Oua te ke fakafiu mai; kuo songo ‘a e matapā, pea ko ‘eku fānau ‘oku mau ‘i he mohenga mo au; ‘oku ‘ikai te u lava ke tu‘u ke ‘atu. 8 Tala atu, ‘e ‘ikai te ne tu‘u ‘o ‘atu koe‘uhi ko hona kaume‘a; ka koe‘uhi ko ‘ene ta‘emangoi te ne tu‘u hake ‘o ‘ange ‘a e me‘a kotoa pē te ne fiema‘u. 9Tala atu foki, Kole, pea ‘e foaki kiate kimoutolu; kumi, pea te mou ‘ilo; tukituki, pea ‘e to‘o kiate kimoutolu.
It's tempting to think that talking about God is the principal expression of our relationship with Him. It's possible, though, for us to talk about God without any intimate knowledge of who He truly is. Evidence of our personal relationship with God is often found not in our public words but in our private prayers-not in what we say about Him but in what we say to Him. Indeed, as Robert Murray M'Cheyne was said to have observed, "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is- and nothing more."
Therein lies a challenge! Because if we're honest, many of our prayers reflect a static or distant relationship, not the dynamism that should mark a warm friendship. But if this is true of us, then we can be assured that we are not alone. Jesus' disciples also desired to grow in intimacy with their heavenly Father but knew they needed the Lord to teach them how to do so (Luke 11:1) and by way of answer, Jesus, having outlined what came to be called the "Lord's Prayer," told them a parable about a friend's bold request.
Jesus begins His illustration by establishing the relationship of the two men within His story: they are friends. He then continues to explain how the one man, wishing to show hospitality to a traveling guest, goes to the other's home at midnight to borrow bread. He even risks waking his friend's entire family just to make his request. Because of his bold persistence, Jesus says, the second man rises and gives the first what he needs.
What we need to grasp from Jesus' story is this: if a sincere human friendship produces such a generous response, we can rest assured that God will never refuse us anything we truly need when we come to Him in prayer. The man's request is a bold one, but as emanding as it may seem, it is heard by a friend and answered because of his persistence. How much more, then, can we be absolutely confident that our heavenly Father is prepared to respond when we approach Him with a sincere, humble heart.
Assurance before God is not necessarily presumptuous. Rather, we can have confidence before His throne because of the friendship He has established with us through Jesus. Because of Him, we can speak to our Creator with the "impudence" of a close friend. What a thought! There is no midnight with God, nor will there ever be a moment when He is inconvenienced by our coming to Him as our Friend. All we must do is knock.
Reflective Questions: EPHESIANS 1:15-23
- How is God calling me to think differently?
- How is God reordering my affections - what I love?
- What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
Fakalaulauloto mo e fehu‘i : ‘EFESO 1:15-23
- Ko e ha e founga ‘oku ui mai ai ‘a e ‘Otua ke liliu ‘eku fakakaukau?
- Ko e ha ‘a e founga ‘oku fai tu’utu’uni mai ai ‘a e ‘Otua ki ho ngaahi manako -
ngaahi me’a ‘oku ou ‘ofa ai?
- Ko e ha ‘a e me’a ‘oku ui mai ai ‘a e ‘Otua ke u fai ‘i he’eku fononga’i ‘a e ‘aho ni?
Bible Through The Year: Isaiah 45-46; Mark 11:20-33
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