Eld Chew Chong Kiat

Being Singaporean we sometimes feel ‘paiseh’ to trouble people, especially very honourable people whom we deem to be busy. We hate to burden them and are very reluctant to go to them for help. If we have no choice, we will be very apologetic and hope to keep the intrusion to the barest minimum.

Do you feel the same about approaching God? You know that He knows all things and has all things planned and they will work the way He plans. You think He does not need more information from you and so why do you then pray? He wants you to pray, you say, and so when you pray, you feel it is not necessary, or you feel apologetic to intrude and keep your prayers short because you do not want to bother Him. Maybe you think that He is too busy to attend to you because there are many with more significant requests than yours, and you think your matters are too small to trouble Him, or you worry that He may chide you for going to Him for petty matters.

Our Lord Jesus, after teaching His disciples the Lord’s Prayer (v1-4), told a parable of a man who went to his friend in the middle of the night to ask for three pieces of bread for a guest who came to him by night and he had no food to serve. He used this parable to teach us how we ought to pray with importunity (v8). But what does praying with importunity mean? 

This man came to his friend in the middle of the night, not because there was an emergency, but for three pieces of bread! He was close to shameless when he knocked on the door of his friend knowing that it would wake up everyone in his household. When he was denied by his friend, he would not give up but continued knocking and asking till his friend got out of bed to give him whatever he needed. This is the meaning of importunity! Being without shame, having no regard for others, and almost rude.

This is not a parable to justify being rude and inconsiderate with our neighbour. The parable is to teach us how to pray to God. Christ is telling us to be persistent when we pray to God. We ought not to be ‘paiseh’! If the friend would relent and rise up to give to the man because of his importunity, how much more will God, our Father in heaven? God is more than a friend; He is our Redeemer and Saviour who has given to us His Son Jesus Christ to die for us! Will He withhold any good thing from us? Of course God will give according to His perfect will always.

If a son shall ask his father for bread, which loving father will give a stone; or a snake and scorpion when he asks for fish or eggs? (v11-13). God will surely give the best to His children. If this friend will rise to give, surely our Father in heaven! “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (v13) Our God stands ready to give! But we get not, because we ask not. “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24)  

Do not let the omniscience and sovereignty of God hinder you from going to Him in prayer.  On the contrary, because you know that He knows all things before you ask, you need not fear that He does not know what you prayed for. And since His sovereignty is working all things for good to you, you should be encouraged to ask, for He stands ready to give. Has He not said that you are to ask so that you will receive? Why should His sovereignty hinder you to ask?  

Daniel knew that the end of the seventy years of chastisement of God’s people in Babylon was coming to an end and that they would return to the Land of Promise according to God’s word. That did not hinder him to pray to God. “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:” (Daniel 9:2-3)

In fact, the promises of God encouraged him to pray. 1John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.”

When should one pray importunately? What will drive one to pray importunately? When we know that what we ask is according to God’s will and yet when we pray it is not answered. God would have us not just to ask, but to seek and knock! (v9-10) Notice the increase in intensity of the request? That is to be importunate; not giving up in prayer until God answers. There is nothing that is too insignificant to ask. Has He not taught us to ask for our daily bread? Has He not said in Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (emphasis added).

Praying importunately is to pray with boldness. The man was very bold and persistent toward his friend. So was Daniel. Daniel 9:18 “O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.”  

Daniel asked God to incline his ears to hear and open his eyes to behold. How audacious, you might say, for a man to say these words unto the most High God! But that is the boldness we should have as we come before God. We want an audience with God when we pray, and God is not displeased by that. We come not to an unknown God, nor do we come hoping to be heard. But we come knowing by God’s Word that He will hear us, and He will behold us. We come by faith to “Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Praying importunately is to pray patiently. The man, while he knocked and asked, had to wait patiently for his friend to respond. He could not rush or hasten his friend, for he was at his friend’s mercy to give what he needed. So likewise, we need to wait patiently for the LORD and He will in time incline to us and hear our cry. (Psalm 40:1). Don’t give up, keep asking for such things as He has promised in His Word. Pray importunately!