IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Seek the Father’s Gift

Date: Jul. 13, 2023

Passage

Luke 11:1-13

The Lord’s Prayer

11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

  “Father, hallowed be your name.
  Your kingdom come.
3   Give us each day our daily bread,
4   and forgive us our sins,
    for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
  And lead us not into temptation.”

5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 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!”

Daily Bread

Key Verse: Luke 11:9

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Jesus’ disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus taught them what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer. He says to, first, address God as “Father”. Our Father God fearfully and wonderfully created us with all the love and hope of a good and loving father. When we see ourselves as children of God, we can find our sense of absolute worth and belonging. God the Father desires to have an intimate and deep relationship with us. Through prayer we can encounter God who provides, shows grace and forgiveness, and protects us so that we may dwell in his kingdom of love on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus goes on to share a story of a desperate man needing bread to give to a visitor at midnight. It is an example of how we should seek God for what he offers to us and to those we share our world with. We should not be hesitant or only seek him in our desperation, but as of first importance, more than wealth or material things of the world. We should seek God for the Holy Spirit whom he gives to us freely and joyfully. Sometimes we may not even know what we are looking for, but God knows the groans of our soul and what we truly need. When we seek him, he will open our eyes and ears to see and hear him.

Prayer: Prayer: Father, I want to receive the deeper truth, the priceless gift--the absolute love that you offer to me and all your children.

One Word: One Word: Seek and you will find.

Daily Bread

God Stills the Conflict

Psalm 76:1-12

Key Verse: 76:6

At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both rider and horse lay stunned.

Read More

Intro Daily