Luke 11.8 I
tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of
friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and
give you as much as you need. – Jesus
Sometimes, even a friend can push the limits; sometimes a
friend can be a downright pain in the… There is a proverb that says, “Blessing you neighbor loudly in the middle
of the night will be taken as a curse!” (Proverbs 27.14) Not only is
blessing important, but the administration of such blessing is important as
well.
I can imagine the friend demanding: Do you know what time it is!? I can imagine him grumbling and
murmuring, rattling around in the kitchen to find the bread, oh, and the jam
(or ham), pickles, olives, and mayo; and now that he’s gone this far, he also
reaches for the milk. Sheesh! But after a day or two all is well and he asks
the asker, so did everything go okay?
What are friends for?
Well, friends are for friends, and audacity (as the verse
sells itself) is sometimes what is needed to move things forward and get things
done.
There is a time and place for audacity and I’m thinking
it works better with friends than it does with strangers – that is, unless, the
audacity is for the benefit of said strangers. Audacity is a tall order and
knowing one’s audience is important for audacity to have its way. The one who is
audaciously visited by another, and finds there are no Graham Crackers in the cupboard,
nor milk in the fridge is looking for a way to be hospitable and therefore springs
audaciously into action knowing the apologies will come later.
Audacity is risk taking. I think Jesus is asking us to be
audacious with God in our asking. Whatever our need, God knows we are where we
are and why we are, so there’s no sense in trying to cover it up with a thin
coat of paint: just ask! And ask because regardless of the response, there
should be an expectation that something is going to happen for everyone’s
benefit. That’s audacity.
God is not offended by our audacity – He’s probably more concerned
that we’re not audacious enough. I often think, God just wants to see what it
is we’re made of and what we’ll do with our faith. Are we willing, perceiving ourselves as beggars and peons, to summon the faith to proclaim ourselves, as the children of God
we are, and go to God with our requests no matter how big or small? Audacity is needed.
That I think is what is truly meant by the audacity of
Hope. Hope isn’t wishful thinking, hope is action based on a belief that God is
who He is, and He does as He says. Do I have faith audacious enough to believe that? The
friend had hope – a fixed belief – his needs would be met. He went not believing that his friend could, but that he would...
Father, fill me
with audacity today to do what is expected of me and to be fearless in asking
You for the things I need – even if it’s my own fault for needing them. You are
God, and I believe You care more about my coming to the throne of Grace than
You do of my asking for Your help. Perhaps Lord, today, my audacity is just what
is needed. Amen
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