WHICH OF YOU SHALL HAVE A FRIEND, AND SHALL GO UNTO HIM AT MIDNIGHT?

In response to the disciples’ request, ‘Teach us to pray’, the Lord encourages them to do so by giving to them the expectation of being answered. In the parable, the retired friend is to be viewed as the antitype of our ‘heavenly Father’.

The central character in the story was a man who was blessed in having two friends; one who came to him and one that he went to. Despite the impoverishment of his larder, he was evi­dently not as reluctant to show hospitality to his journeying friend, as was his other friend in begrudgingly responding to his plea. He seems to have appreciated the truth that ‘he that hath friends must shew himself friendly’, Prov. 18. 24.

It is to be noted that his entreaty was not to benefit himself but his visitor. The man was exhibiting the truth of Paul’s exhor­tation in Philippians chapter 2 verse 4. The only personal aspect of the request was for assistance to meet his incapacity. Prayer is a similar admission of our own inability.

By saying, ‘Lend me’, the man intended to reciprocate the kindness shown to him, which is true gratitude. The lack of eagerness to bestir himself to provide aid hardly commends the man who had settled down for the night, for ‘a friend loveth at all times’, Prov. 17. 17.

How unlike our God this indisposed man really is. The man who stood without and heard the retort, ‘Trouble me not’, proba­bly would have felt a measure of awkwardness for disturbing him. We need not feel so abashed. He is not inconvenienced at whatever time we appeal to Him. The Lord, confident in His Father, urged the disciples to ‘ask … seek … knock’.

The words of the Lord are true, ‘Every one that asketh receiveth’. This does not mean to say that we always get what we want, because sometimes we ‘ask amiss’, Jas. 4. 3. But invariably we get what we need. He knows our needs better than we can know them ourselves. We can be absolutely confident in the fact that we will not get that which is not for our good. ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father’, Jas. 1. 17.