Luke 11: 11-13 – The Holy Spirit, our Guide in prayer

No father would ever pull out a counterfeit $50 bill and give it to his needy son who has requested for it. Especially so when he knows that the son needs it for some necessities. That's the essence for the first two questions Jesus asked in Luke11:11-12.  "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?” Both these questions presuppose "no" for an answer. Jesus asserted that no earthly father will ever give to his son a snake instead of a fish or a scorpion instead of an egg. Of course not! No father will ever respond to the request of a needful thing with something harmful.

In fact we must have heard of accounts of indulgent fathers who would go even farther. They would take their sons fishing when a fish is requested. And would make them ham omelette when only an egg is requested. This is what some earthly fathers would even do. So how much more would our good Father in heaven provide all our basic needs in life?

This good Heavenly Father knows we all have needs in life and will provide for them. But the one person we all need most, especially in prayer, is the Holy Spirit. Remember the disciples request was for the Lord to teach them to pray. Here is the answer to that question: this third person of the Trinity is the person every Christian would truly need in his or her prayer journey.

Remember what Paul said in Romans 8:26-27, "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." The good Father knows that we all need the Holy Spirit to assist us in our prayer. If we really want to know how to pray effectively, we need Him. Jesus is saying that we all need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in prayer. Therefore if we want an effective prayer journey, we must seek the assistance of the Holy Spirit. And the Father will give us the Holy Spirit when we ask of Him. He is the person who can help us in prayer.

In the third question recorded in Luke 11:13 says, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” This third question presupposes "yes" for an answer. Yes, He will give us the Holy Spirit when we ask of Him. The adjective "evil" used to describe the earthly father is for contrast. It's not here to give us the idea that earthly fathers are bad. It's here to tell us how good our Heavenly Father is, in contrast to the earthly father.

We don't need a set of techniques or "know how's" in prayer. We need the Holy Spirit. He is the "another comforter" whom the Lord Jesus had sent to take His place to assist us. He is our advocate and counsellor today. If we want to know how to pray effectively, we need Him. So request His help every day, much more so when we are praying. We truly need the Holy Spirit, our Guide in prayer!