Luke 11 -- why pray?

The fierce nuns who taught my first three grades made made sure we knew about the wicked atheist communists. One story comes to mind some 50 years later. It's a classroom. The children have a new teacher. She asks if the children believe in God. Most do. She tells them to close their eyes, put their heads on their desks, and pray for candy. Nothing happens. She tells them to close their eyes, put their heads on their desks, and ask Karl Marx for candy. This time, they get results.

Yet Jesus tells us that we live in a universe with invisible resources all around us, and a loving God who is waiting to hear from us:

Luk 11:5-7 Sonra söyle dedi: "Sizlerden birinin bir arkadasi olur da gece yarisi ona gidip, 'Arkadas, bana üç ekmek ödünç ver. Bir arkadasim yoldan geldi, önüne koyacak bir seyim yok' derse, öbürü içerden, 'Beni rahatsiz etme! Kapi kilitli, çocuklarim da yanimda yatiyor. Kalkip sana bir sey veremem' der mi hiç?
Luk 11:8 Size sunu söyleyeyim, arkadaslik geregi kalkip ona istedigini vermese bile, adamin yüzsüzlügünden ötürü kalkar, ihtiyaci neyse ona verir.
Luk 11:9 "Ben size sunu söyleyeyim: Dileyin, size verilecek; arayin, bulacaksiniz; kapiyi çalin, size açilacaktir.
Luk 11:10 Çünkü her dileyen alir, arayan bulur, kapi çalana açilir.
Luk 11:11 "Aranizda hangi baba, ekmek isteyen ogluna tas verir? Ya da balik isterse balik yerine yilan verir?
Luk 11:12 Ya da yumurta isterse ona akrep verir?
Luk 11:13 Sizler kötü yürekli oldugunuz halde çocuklariniza güzel armaganlar vermeyi biliyorsaniz, gökteki Baba'nin, kendisinden dileyenlere Kutsal Ruh'u verecegi çok daha kesin degil mi?"

Çünkü her dileyen alir, arayan bulur, kapi çalana açilir : Because everyone who asks receives, who seeks will find, who knocks on the door will see it open.

The proper response to persistent problems -- such as, finding a job in a wounded economy -- is not fatalistic resignation, but active, aggressive, persistent action. Knock and keep on knocking. Seek and keep on seeking. Ask and keep on asking. In the Greek, these verbs are in the present continuous tense, and imply ongoing activity.

Well, a part-time low-paying seasonal job has just ended, so I need to take my own advice!