What to expect when you pray.
Proper 12, Year C
Luke 11:1-13
In this Gospel reading, Luke begins with a brief word about how to pray, but quickly shifts the focus to teach us what to expect when we do. Jesus not only gives us a pattern to follow—the Lord’s Prayer—but draws us deeper into the relational reality of prayer itself. Luke wants us to understand that prayer is not about formulas or phrases; it is about knowing the One we are speaking to and expecting Him to respond.
When we pray, Jesus teaches us to expect relationship. Through a parable about a friend knocking on his neighbor’s door at midnight, Jesus shows us that we approach God not as strangers or enemies, but as friends. The repeated use of the word “friend” in the parable is no accident. We are friends of God because Christ has made us so. “No longer do I call you servants… I have called you friends,” Jesus tells His disciples (John 15:15). Like Abraham, the friend of God, we are welcomed to speak with Him, to make requests, and even to reason with Him in prayer, not because He needs our counsel, but because He delights in our nearness.
This friendship shapes how we approach God. We do not come as beggars knocking on a stranger’s door—we come as beloved friends of Christ. But this also means we don’t live in friendship with the world. As James warns us, “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4). So when we come to pray, we must ask: Are we aligned with the things of the Kingdom, or meddling in the things of the world? Do we approach as friends—or foes?
Moreover, this parable paints a picture of God as our only true friend in a time of need. The man at the door persists because he has nowhere else to go. He stays, he knocks, he pleads—because he trusts his friend will eventually respond. Likewise, we must cling to God in prayer with the same persistence, believing that no one else can give what only He can provide. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
From this posture of relationship, Jesus then teaches us to expect response. Prayer is not aimless—it draws down answers. Jesus urges us to ask, seek, and knock with the longing and persistence of a bride searching for her bridegroom. Like the bride in the Song of Solomon who rises in the night, searching the city streets for the one her soul loves, our prayers should carry that same desperation and devotion (Song 3:1–4). Prayer is not just asking for things—it is a reaching out for the Beloved, refusing to let go until we are near again.
And what can we expect when we ask, seek, and knock? We can expect the Father to give us good things. Jesus compares our heavenly Father to earthly fathers—if even sinful men know not to give their children a snake when they ask for a fish, or a scorpion instead of an egg, how much more will our Father in heaven give what is good? These examples carry weight: the fish is clean, the snake is unclean; the egg gives life, the scorpion brings death. God will not answer your prayers with evil, even when you don’t know what you truly need. Unlike the tempter in the wilderness who tells Jesus to turn stones into bread, our Father doesn’t deal in illusions—He gives bread when it is bread we need.
And what is it we need most? Jesus tells us plainly: “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (v.13). The Holy Spirit is not just one gift among many—He is the answer to our prayers. He is the Comforter, the Healer, the Power of God to bind up the broken, raise the dead, still the storm, and accomplish the will of God. Jesus did all things by the Spirit, and we are invited to do the same. When we pray, we should expect to see the Spirit move. That is what the Father loves to give—His own presence and power at work in and through His people.
So what do we take home from this teaching on prayer?
First, we learn that persistence moves God to respond. Not because He is reluctant, but because He is relational. He wants us to come like the bride in the night—seeking Him with longing.
Second, we learn the power of corporate prayer—when we come together as friends of God, seeking His Kingdom, something happens.
Third, we must approach as friends, not foes. If you want to pray effectively, leave behind the things of the world. Friendship with God excludes friendship with the world.
Fourth, we need to align our expectations. God doesn’t always answer with what we want—but He always gives what is needed. And what we need most is the Holy Spirit.
So, finally, pray for the Spirit. He is the answer to all your prayers.
Watch the full Sermon HERE. Listen to Sermon HERE.
Peace Be With You,
Pastor Bruce
