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| A Friend Comes At Midnight |
I heard Karen Wheaton tell a story about a time she was praying for her prodigal daughter. She followed the parable Jesus told about the friend that came at midnight to his friend's house to borrow some bread, and knocked persistently till the friend finally opened up and gave him what he asked for. Ms. Karen said she persistently prayed for 3 loaves concerning her daughter... bread for her salvation, bread for her deliverance, and bread for her healing.
One night she was in worship service at a youth conference gathering of young people. She got lost in worship and had an open vision of a door standing in front of her. The door opened slightly and 2 hands reached from behind the door and handed her 3 loaves of bread. Ms. Karen cried out, "You're giving me the bread?"
Then the door opened wide and she was compelled to go in. She stepped into a storehouse of bread as far as the eye could see. Shelves and shelves to the left and right. Shelves up to the ceiling so high that she couldn't see that far. A voice spoke out to her and said, "You just want 3 loaves?" She cried out, "No Lord, I'll take it all, for a generation of young people that need to know You."
Ms. Karen's prodigal daughter came home, and Ms. Karen's ministry serving young people increased widespread, even to other countries.
Jesus' Parable About Persistent Prayer
Luke 11:5-10 (NLT) Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.' But I tell you this - though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †