IMPORTUNITY REWARDED.

: New Testament Stories

One day Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them to pray. So

Jesus taught them the prayer we all know so well, beginning with "Our

Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name." But Jesus told

them it was not enough to pray: they must not get tired of praying,

even if they failed to receive quickly the things they asked for. They

must keep on asking, until God in His own time and manner should grant

them wha
He saw to be good. This great lesson Jesus taught them by

the following parable:--



"Which of you shall have a friend," said Jesus, "and shall go unto him

at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves, for a

friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set

before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not,

the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot

rise and give thee. I say unto you," said Jesus, "though he will not

rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his

importunity (continued asking) he will rise and give him as many as he

needeth."



Then Jesus told His disciples, and He tells us too, "Ask, and it shall

be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened

unto you." For, said He, "every one that asketh receiveth; and he that

seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." If we

ask for those things that God sees to be good for us, we may certainly

expect to receive them. Let us ask God to keep us every day; and to

give us such things as He knows will be for our good.



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