Ask, Search, Knock

For Saturday, October 27th

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished,  one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray,

 say:Father, hallowed be your name.
   Your kingdom come.
   Give us each day our daily bread.
   And forgive us our sins,
     for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
   And do not bring us to the time of trial.’

 And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.” And he answers from within, “Do not bother me;

 the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.” I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

 ‘So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you

 will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone

 who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for

 everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone

 among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake 

instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?

 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your

 children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy 

Spirit to those who ask him!’ Luke 11:1-13

I am facing many changes as I transition from being the Assistant Bishop in Montana to being a Regional Canon in Massachusetts. I find myself struggling to figure out how to

prepare, what to set up, who to talk to - all while trying to unpack the goods from my

office and apartment in Montana. I am worried about many details, as I am often Martha.

It takes me awhile in these kinds of times to remember to pray often, especially when I

get worried and afraid for the days to come.

Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray. The words of what we refer to as the Lord's

Prayer, are simple, direct and honest. He then goes on to show them the heart of God as 

a loving parent, as the one who will respond to our asking with what we truly need for this and every hour.

Today, I ask God to help me pray at every turn and to persist in prayer as I face the 

unknown. May we all readily turn to prayer in every troubling moment, every 

confusing turn, trusting God to bring us through and beyond these tough days.