NEWS & THOUGHTS ARCHIVE

Dependency

Evangelist Dr. Bob Sanders
October 1, 2008

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Luke 11:5-8 “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; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 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. 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.” 

Within our text, Jesus is teaching a lesson on the persistence of prayer. He has just concluded with what is known as “The Model Prayer” or “The Lord’s Prayer.” There Jesus taught on the pattern or the principles of prayer. While these are the basic truths being taught, there are other lessons associated with them! Of the many that could be noticed, the thing that I notice most is the emphasis on dependency. While it is a secular statement; “No man is an island”, it does have spiritual merit and contains a measure of divine truth, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself” (Romans 14:7). While all of us would like to project the appearance of being totally self-sufficient, the truth is, all of us are dependent creatures. 

The first thing that I notice is the Sphere of Dependency. While verse 5-8 project the thoughts of earthly dependency, verses 2-4 project the thoughts of a heavenly dependency. In verse 2-4, there is our dependency on the Creator; “give us” (vs. 3), “forgive us” (vs. 4), “lead us” (vs. 4) and “deliver us” (vs. 4). All of humanity is dependent upon the goodness of God to supply our every need! James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). In John 15, the thrust of our Lord’s conversation was directed toward His disciples but, the application is to all men, “for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). When speaking to the Corinthians, Paul asked this question, “what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (I Corinthians 4:7). It is in God that all men live and move and have our being! 

In verse 5-8, there is our dependency on the creature. Within these verses, there was one individual that needed shelter and another that needed substance, and both turned to their fellowman in a state of dependency, “Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?” (vs. 5-6). In almost twenty-three years of evangelism, I have no idea what I would have done had it not been for the generosity and kindness of God’s people. When writing to the believers at Philippi, Paul emphasizes his dependency on the benevolent gifts of others (see Philippians 4:14-17). We need each other! 

The second thing that I notice is the Substance of Dependency. Our dependency falls into two specific areas; spiritual and secular. A careful reading of Luke 11:2-8 will reveal a large variety of needs both spiritual and secular. We will discover that these dependencies can be met by the Creator as well as the creature! While only God can forgive sin, the creature can be a channel through which that forgiveness comes by the faithful proclamation of the Truth. While it is ultimately God’s will that a person needs to follow, we may be an instrument of counsel that guides that person in the path of His will. Daily bread ultimately comes from the Father above, but He may choose to use our hands to pass it. Often we are blinded to vastness of our needs. Many times the sinner is only aware of his secular needs while the saint is only focused on the spiritual needs. All of our needs both temporal and eternal make us dependent on the Father above as well as the brethren below! 

The last thing that I notice is the Satisfaction of Dependency. Thanks God we have a Heavenly Father that is willing to satisfy the deficient areas of the temporal as well as the eternal! Listen to these words of encouragement. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Jeremiah 33:3 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 God not only desires, but is also willing to meet our needs! But, let us not forget those that display the heart and character of our Heavenly Father; those that are willing to be that “Good Samaritan.” Let us remember those that supply bread for the hungry and a bed for the weary. There are those that are willing to help bear our burdens before the Lord. Thank God for those that are motivated by the love of God to be a help to those along the way. While it is important to acknowledge those that had help supply our deficiencies, let us endeavor to become a source of supply! We are reminded of the words of our Lord in Acts20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” We all have something to give. While the friend may have been deficient in bread, he did have a bed. Let us give and do what we can to be a comfort and aid to those about us! 

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