#ilyjesus

Today, Jesus was found praying in a certain place. The twelve of us were gathered together, discussing work while waiting for Jesus to finish praying and talking to his Heavenly Father. Once he finished praying to God, one of us went to Jesus and asked him to teach us to pray in the proper way, just as John taught his disciples. Without any hesitation, Jesus went on saying, "This is how you should pray properly: "Father, may your name be kept holy." May your kingdom arrive soon. Give us the food we need every day, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.And do not let us yield to temptation. ’

After Jesus finished saying this, I understood that we are not supposed to ask for our desires and wants from God by praying only, but we should also thank and appreciate him for all he has done for us, and pray to him for forgiveness of our sins that we have committed in the past. Then, Jesus continued teaching us more about prayer by using this story: "Suppose you went to a friend’s house in the middle of the night, intending to borrow three loaves of bread. You told him, "A friend of mine has just arrived for a short visit, and I have nothing for him to eat." And suppose he calls out this, directing it at you from his bedroom, "Do not bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. Unfortunately, I can’t help you. ’ But I am going to tell you this: although he will not do it for the sake of their friendship, if you keep knocking long enough all day long, he will eventually get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. ’

And so Jesus continued teaching, "And so here I am telling you this: keep on asking, and you will then receive what you have asked for." Do not stop searching until you find what you want and need. Keep on knocking, and the door will eventually open for you. And for everyone who asks, they will then receive. Everyone who seeks and pursues it will find it in the long run. For everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

"You fathers, if your children request from you a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! ’ Ya, obviously, I would give my child an egg if he or she asked for it instead of a scorpion. So Jesus continued, ‘So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father provide and give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.’

Jesus used this short story to relate to how God would act if we asked him whole-heartedly. However, after asking for both our needs and desires from God, it does not mean that we do not have to do anything about it and that our desires will just come freely to us the next day. Instead, we should do something about it, thinking about how to achieve it with the blessings of God.

(548 words)