Are You Shameless ...

“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence (shamelessness) he will get up and give him as much as he needs. “And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you."

Luke 11:8-9

Shameless ..."a lack of sensitivity to what its proper."

I was reading in Luke 11 today about a guy who shows up very late to a friends house and asks for some bread because he needs to feed another buddy of his who has shown up at his house and he doesn't have anything to feed him with. How awkward are those moments when you have to ask someone else for help? Or for money? Or even for food? You feel kinda stupid... you immediately start playing down the need that you have and start apologizing for even imposing on them. "I promise I will pay you back...this won't happen again...I'll make it up to you...." Now I know that we are just trying to be polite and respectful and give the impression that this is a "one time" need and that it will never happen again. But is that not pride at work in us? God says here in this passage today that he answers the one who is shameless...he answers the one who isn't worried about his reputation or what others might see him doing, but rather he will answer the one who is willing to ask shamelessly. What hit me today is this...I need to be shameless about my prayers to God. I need to lay all pride aside and share my desperation with him because he calls me to ask, seek and knock...until he responds!

What if God told you today, in this very moment that whatever you prayed for ... whoever you prayed for... he would answer you? What would you pray for? Who would you pray for? My thought is that you would not care where you were or who was around nor what you were involved in ... I would think that in that moment you would become absolutely shameless! You would fall on your face, you would spend however long it took to pray everything on your heart, and my guess is that you would pray more desperately than you ever have before.

What if God is waiting on you to begin to pray shamelessly? What if the reason you have not...is because you ask not. Matt. 7:9-11 reads “Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" May you know today that we serve a "how much more" kind of God. May you be absolutely "insensitive and improper" in your prayer today. May you be shameless!

Not Ashamed...Bill