Inspirational Message: The Parable of the Midnight Caller

When calling on God at a midnight hour, we may encounter some unexpected delays. Will relatives or friends try to satisfy our needs? The Lord assures us that He will respond especially with much persistence. It is never too late to call God. Prayers to God can be compared to spiritual oxygen masks that fulfill important times of emergency or during a special occasion of need. A prayer has to be an indispensable part of our walk with God. Many prayer problems may exist. Why does it feel like a burden or a duty to talk to God about our situations? We are to cast our troubles upon Him because He cares for us. He loves us deeply.

We can relate to the teachings of this parable of the midnight caller with much appreciation for God’s loving kindness to guide us in prayers. Included in Luke 11 is the prayer Jesus taught the disciples (Luke 11:1-4) to honor God in our prayer patterns along with requests for forgiveness and resistance to temptations to disobey God. Wise believers still seek Him as an expert to contact in a midnight crisis. Jesus often withdrew to isolated places and prayed (Luke 5:16). It may be wise for us to let prayers precede significant events in our lives. Friends and relatives can be wonderful, but they do not have the power of God through His Son Jesus Christ to help us.

Let us continue to ask God to teach us to pray to deepen the relationship we have with Him as our Father. Having given the disciples a pattern of prayer, the Lord continues with His focus on the story of the midnight emergency. Any person might not become involved with our cries for help, but God never fails. He may not answer as we wish because He knows what we need even before we ask. A midnight request to God or man is not casual conversation while boldness can make it important. We can come to God without worrying about any inconvenience of time or place. Does He have to be urged into responding? Is God like a sleepy neighbor who might become irritated by any request? God is always available to respond to our needs. He invites us to come boldly and confidently to Him.

Does persistence in prayer help us? Do we continue to ask, seek and knock for God’s help? We can come to God being convinced that He is committed to meet our needs. In His infinite wisdom He will determine the importance of our requests. We are not wise enough to always make the best choices in our requests, so we must trust God to use His unlimited power to help as the ruler of our universe. What is the great assurance Luke gives us? The promise in Luke’s Gospel is that God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. He is the bread for which we are to ask, seek and knock for ourselves and for others as the parable of the midnight caller suggests!
Mrs. Gladys R. McElmore, a resident of Norfolk’s Middle Town Arch Community, is a New Journal and Guide Freelance Contributor on religion. She is a native of Essex County, Va.