Luke 11 Devotional: Learn from Jesus’ teaching on the Lord’s Prayer and the power of persistent petition. Explore the warning against spiritual emptiness and the call to walk in the light of God’s Word.
Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to Luke Chapter 11. Today, we find the disciples watching Jesus pray, struck by the intimacy and power of His communion with the Father. Their request, "Lord, teach us to pray," is one we still carry today. Let us join them at the Master’s feet to discover the heart of a Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children.
The Persistence of Prayer and the Power of the Spirit
Luke 11 begins with a version of the Lord’s Prayer, followed immediately by parables that emphasize boldness and persistence in our communication with God. Jesus assures us that if earthly parents know how to give good gifts, how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. The chapter then shifts to a serious confrontation where Jesus defends His authority, warns against the danger of a "swept and put in order" life that remains empty of God, and rebukes the religious leaders for valuing outward tradition over inward justice and love.
What can we learn from this today? In this chapter, we see the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. As your Statement of Faith affirms, the Spirit dwells in, guides, and empowers us for godly living. Jesus makes it clear that we are not meant to face life’s battles in our own strength; we are invited to "ask, seek, and knock" for the Spirit’s presence. Furthermore, Jesus warns us that it is not enough to simply "clean up" our lives or follow religious rules. Without the indwelling of the Spirit and the light of the Gospel, we remain vulnerable. We are called to be people who not only hear the Word of God but keep it, ensuring that the "lamp" of our soul is filled with Christ's light.
11 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
8 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.
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.
37 And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
45 Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
53 And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things:
54 Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
Jesus said, "Everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." With this bold promise, let us bring our hearts before the Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father, We hallow Your name and pray for Your Kingdom to come in our hearts and in our world today. We believe that Your Word is the final authority for our lives and that through it, You reveal Your perfect will for our salvation. Thank You for being a Father who is not bothered by our persistence but invited by our trust.
Lord, I ask today for a fresh infilling of Your Holy Spirit. I confess that I often try to "sweep and put in order" my own life through my own effort, failing to realize that I am nothing without Your indwelling presence. Grant me the boldness to keep knocking and the faith to keep seeking Your face. Deliver me from the "leaven" of hypocrisy—help me to care more about the justice and love in my heart than the appearance I show to the world. Let the light of Your Truth shine so brightly in me that there is no dark part left.
We pray for our universal Church, that we would be a people marked by persistent, mountain-moving prayer. We lift up those who are facing spiritual oppression or who feel "empty" despite their religious efforts; may they find true regeneration through the Holy Spirit. We pray for a world that is blinded by the "sign of Jonah" but refuses to repent; open eyes to see that Jesus is the one greater than Solomon and Jonah. May we be a people who hear Your Word and guard it faithfully until the day of Your return. Amen.
Jesus promises that the Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Have you taken a moment today to specifically ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts, empower your service, and fill your heart?
What is the "Sign of Jonah" that Jesus mentions? It refers to His own death and resurrection. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days, Jesus would be in the heart of the earth before rising bodily on the third day—the ultimate proof of His authority.
Why does Jesus speak so harshly to the Pharisees in this chapter? He is rebuking "legalism"—the act of following external religious rules while ignoring the internal weightier matters of the heart, such as justice and the love of God.
What does the "lamp of the body" mean? Jesus is teaching that our perspective (our "eye") determines our spiritual health. If we focus on Christ and His truth, our whole life is filled with light; if we focus on selfish or sinful things, our life becomes dark.
Thank you for joining us for Luke 11. May you walk today in the light of the Spirit and the confidence of a child of God. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow as we study the warnings against greed and the call to trust in Luke Chapter 12.
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