I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. Luke 11:8
A friend had come to visit me unexpectedly, and I found out why he had come, only a few minutes into his visit. A minor disaster had occurred regarding his car, and he could not afford at that point to have it repaired. Would I lend him the money he needed for the repairs? At first I declined, although he was my friend. I did not have that much money with me, and would have to withdraw it from the bank. Besides, I did not like lending money to friends because it often causes them to develop amnesia (although I did not tell him that). He pleaded with me to get him the money, saying how important it was for him to have his car so he could travel to and from work. Finally, I reluctantly agreed to get the money for him the next day. I know exactly how the man in Jesus’ parable felt when his friend came asking for loaves of bread in the middle of the night. Importunity works. And it works with God, too.
The man who came asking for bread received what he needed for two reasons: he asked a friend, and he kept asking the friend until the friend gave in to his request. It is much the same when we come before God to ask for what we need. The title of the old hymn reminds us: ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus’. In Him we have a Friend Who not only will listen to our requests, but Who also knows them before we even ask. He also knows our motives behind our asking, and whether we are sincere, and whether we actually need that for which we ask. As our Friend, He listens to our prayers in loving kindness, because He truly cares that we receive that which is for our best. As our Friend, He will respond to our prayers as His infinite wisdom and His infinite compassion dictate.
Just as importunity worked with the man who was asked for bread, and just as importunity worked with me when my friend needed money, so importunity works with God. But not necessarily for the same reason. Earthly friends can weary of our asking, and give up their resistance to our requests. But we cannot weary God with our asking. He does not and cannot have any objection to our continual pleas for that which is on our hearts. He does not always answer in a hurry, for several reasons. He may delay His response to allow us time to determine whether what we seek is really for the best. He may delay His response to allow us to prove the sincerity and selflessness of our request. And He may delay His response because He knows the perfect time to respond. Just as our friends do not always give us what we ask, so God withholds from us that which we should not have. And it is His infinite wisdom that determines what we should not have.
Why would God answer your prayer today? Because he is your Friend. And because of your importunity. – Jim MacIntosh