Luke 11:5-8

Luke 11:5-8

[5] And  he said  unto  them,  Which  of  shall have  a friend,  and  shall go  unto  him  at midnight,  and  say  unto him,  Friend,  lend  three  loaves;  [6] For  a friend  in  his journey  is come  to  and  I have  nothing  to set before  him?  [7] And he  from within  shall answer  and say,  Trouble  not:  the door  now  shut,  and  children  with  in  bed;  I cannot  rise  and give  [8] I say  not  rise  and give  him,  because  his  friend,  yet  because  of his  importunity  he will rise  and give  him  as many as  he needeth. 

What does Luke 11:5-8 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Having helped his disciples pray, Jesus now gave them incentive to pray. He contrasted the character of God and the character of the reluctant neighbor in His story (cf. Luke 11:13; Luke 18:1-8). This parable contains a very helpful and encouraging revelation of God"s character (cf. Luke 10:22). Understanding the character of God removes many of the problems we have with prayer. [1] This parable also encourages disciples to pray in spite of no immediate answers. It addresses the common feeling that prayer may be useless since God does not grant answers as one might expect Him to.
"The point of the parable is clearly not: Go on praying because God will eventually respond to importunity; rather it is: Go on praying because God responds graciously to the needs of his children." [2]