Hospitality And Religion Essay

In verses 5-10, the emphasis is this: In contrast with the man who did not want to be bothered, God wants His people to pray to Him. Hospitality was a strictly observed custom in the ancient Near East. In Jesus’ day, a person’s reputation was largely connected to his hospitality. When visitors arrived, the host would provide lodging under his roof and food to eat. The host in this parable did not have enough food for his unexpected traveling friend. So, he goes over to his neighbor’s house to ask for three loaves of bread. What is the time? It is midnight. Try to imagine the situation. The typical one room houses in Israel had a common sleeping area shared by the whole family. Often even the household animals slept with the family. To get up at midnight and lit a lamp to get a bread would disturb everyone. So, the awakened master of the house was reluctant to respond to his friend’s need. He said in verse 7:

1. You must view your daily prayer time as part of your relationship with God, rather than a required ritual. Why does Jesus place emphasis on persistence? Because it is important that we don’t give up on prayer. God does not become more willing to answer us because of our persistence, but we may become more capable of receiving the answer. Persistent prayer does not change God, but it does change us. It forces us to confront our helplessness. God wants us to sense that we really are helpless. “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Persistent prayer cleans our hearts of poor motives and helps us to distinguish deep seated desires from momentary urges. Persistent prayer develops patience and an earnest spirit. It humbles us so that God alone gets the glory. Don’t come to God only in the midnight emergencies. The more time we spend with God, the more we will learn to trust God and to ask for the things that are consistent with His