Pentecost+7/Proper 12C (Luke 11:1-13)

In the gospel lesson this morning, the disciples ask Jesus the question that we would like to ask him for ourselves, “Teach us to pray.” The flow of Jesus’ instruction on prayer in the lesson has a pattern: a proper way of praying to God: the Lord’s Prayer – his analogy of God as a parent who provides the best to children – his exhortation for a persistent practice of prayer: “Ask, search, and knock.” This time, I would like us to reflect on Jesus’ teaching in reverse order. The reason for this approach is like solving a math problem. We don’t want to first look at the answer but try first and go through trials and errors to understand the nature of the problem and eventually resolve it. This isn’t a test but we want to earn wisdom and insight from our direct experience of prayer as we start where we are right now in our spiritual lives. So, we will start with his exhortation, then with the analogy, and with the Lord’s Prayer. 

The order of “Ask, search, and knock” may not merely be a series of different expressions regarding prayer. It can be considered the stages of prayer. We can follow that exact order. The essential virtue of taking these prayerful steps, which is the only requirement, is honesty with ourselves in the presence of God. What matters is that we pray honestly. No masks are required as there’s no pandemic of judgment. Also, a misdirected prayer that is only concerned with self-interest is still better than no prayer. 

First, ask whatever is in your mind without filtering. No need to be conscientious and conscious of whether you’re being selfish or not. There are reasons for all of us to bring particular concerns in our lives for ourselves and others. These are aspects of ourselves that need to be explored with curiosity rather than with judgment. Then, search for what you truly desire. Notice what you initially asked for is changing, depending on changes in circumstances, our perceptions, etc. What we initially searched for may be quite different from what we are searching for as time goes by. After discerning our deepest desires which are mostly influenced by fear and anxiety, knock on the door of God’s peace and truth. 

We might wonder if this formula is Jesus’ way to get what we desire. Is Jesus teaching us to keep on asking, searching, and knocking? Jesus requires us to be persistent about placing ourselves constantly in God’s presence, asking, searching, and knocking to the point where we realize our act of persistence which leads to ardency weighs more than what we initially desired. Thus, at the end of this prayerful journey, we ask, search, and knock for the presence of the Holy Spirit. We come to realize God’s presence is that which fulfills all our desires in this life on earth as it is in heaven. God’s presence is the source of hope, peace, and resilience for us to carry on through struggles in life. 

This formula or “ask, search, and knock” has often been understood as a means to measure one’s faith in God. Say, someone gets ill and his faith community teaches him to pray hard enough so that God’s miracle of cure happens. This can happen of course. But what if this doesn’t happen? Are we to blame this person for lacking faith or not praying hard enough? Or are we to blame God for forsaking him? A miracle of curing terminal illnesses has its purpose but this has its limitations. Is it God’s will for us to live here forever or is it our will to be immortal? Think of the situation in a soccer game where one player scores. Her ceremony is to kneel and pray to God for gratitude while the goalie who is of the same Christian faith sees that. What would God feel? The point of this analogy is that we’re missing something about the purpose of prayer. The sole purpose of our prayer is to be in the presence of God beyond time and space, which is the best present that God can give to God’s children. 

From this ardent act of asking, searching, and knocking, silence becomes the language of prayer and we pray the prayer Jesus has taught his friends: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come…” The kingdom of God is the presence of the Holy Spirit. God’s kingdom takes place within us that our lives are attuned and patterned according to the breath of God. Be alert, passionate, and mindful of the breath of God in our own breath. “Your kingdom come” is our profession of faith in God that “My kingdom is no longer mine but yours as my breath is never my own but yours.”