Title: “Pray Boldly”
Text: Luke 11:5-13

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, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 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’? 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. 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. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him 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!”

1. “Jesus wants to nurture in us a love for the things of God.” In what ways have you found the prayers in the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4) to be an “acquired taste” for you?
2. Jesus gives an illustration about prayer in Luke 11:5-8. What is some of the relevant cultural background to this story?
3. Can you re-tell the story in your own words?
4. Luke 11:7 gives us the response of the one inside the house: “I can’t get up and give you anything.” There are times when the voice of unbelief causes us to give up on asking God. Have you ever experienced this?
5. According to Jesus, what does Jesus commend  about the friend who is knocking on the door?
6. In Luke 11:9-10, Jesus applies the story to his teaching on prayer. What is the application?
7. Do you think that Luke 11:10 is a blank check? How might the five petitions in the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4) help us in answering this question?
8. Jesus then draws an analogy (Luke 11:11-13) between fathers (who are evil, yet still gracious) and our Father in heaven. What might be the timeless lesson here about the nature of God, and the nature of prayer?
9. Can you think of a time when God gave you a “good” thing in answer to prayer? Can you think of a time when God did not give you something that you wanted?
10. What are some of the ways that this entire passage (Luke 11:1-13) might change how we pray? What is your biggest takeaway