Friday

Related Verses
Luke 11:11-13, 33-34
11 But what father among you whose son shall ask for a fish will instead of a fish hand him a snake?
12 Or if he shall also ask for an egg will hand him a scorpion?
13 If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father who is from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
33 No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it in the cellar or under the bushel, but on the lampstand, in order that those who enter in may see the light.
34 The lamp of the body is your eye. When your eye is single, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is evil, your body also is dark.

Matt. 5:8
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Acts 6:4
4 But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.

Rom. 10:12-13
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him;
13 For “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Gal. 2:20
20 I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Related Reading
Perhaps you are wondering where in Luke 11:1-13 we can see the matter of receiving the life supply from the Father. The life supply is indicated in verses 11 through 13…Here the life supply is indicated by the fish, the egg, and the Holy Spirit. In verse 5 it is indicated by the loaves. If we include the loaves, we have four items of the life supply. When we pray ourselves into God, we receive His riches as our supply. (Life-study of Luke, pp. 223-224) 

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In Luke 11:13 the Lord said that if we, being evil, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! This implies that the one gift that is truly good is the Holy Spirit. Before His death the Lord told the disciples to ask for the Holy Spirit. After His death and resurrection He told them to receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). 

In Luke 11:11 through 13 the Lord [said] that a father will not give his son a snake instead of a fish, or a scorpion instead of an egg. Furthermore, the Lord said that the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. In figure, a snake signifies Satan and his angels, and a scorpion signifies Satan’s demons. 

The Lord’s word in 11:11-13 indicates that our intention in prayer should be to seek the life supply—to seek loaves, fish, and eggs. Loaves represent the riches of the land; fish, the riches of the sea; and eggs, the riches of something both in the air and on the earth. Therefore, loaves, fish, and eggs represent the riches of the land, the water, and the air; that is, these represent different kinds of riches. In verse 13 we see that the Holy Spirit is the totality of these riches. The Holy Spirit is the totality of the loaves, the fish, and the egg. 

The Holy Spirit is the life supply. When we pray ourselves into God, we should remain in God to receive the Holy Spirit as our life supply. 

Have you ever heard before that to pray is to pray ourselves into God so that we may remain in Him continually to receive the Holy Spirit as our life supply? This life supply, signified by the loaves, the fish, and the egg, nourishes not only ourselves but also those under our care. 

We have strongly emphasized the fact that to pray is to pray ourselves into God. Whenever our prayer does not bring us into God, it is wrong. We should not continue to pray in that way. The governing principle of our prayer should be that prayer always brings us into God. 

Do not pray if your prayer does not bring you into God. This does not mean that you should not ask the Lord to heal you if you are sick. The point is that when you pray for healing, you should observe the governing principle of prayer and pray yourself into God. If your way of praying distracts you from the Lord and does not bring you into Him, you should change your way of praying. Seek to pray in such a way that you are brought into God. The prayer that brings us into God is the right kind of prayer. 

We know from our experience with the Lord that often we have prayed properly and have prayed ourselves into God. As we remain in Him, we receive His riches, the riches that are embodied in His Spirit. When we receive the Holy Spirit as our life supply signified by the loaves, the fish, and the egg, we can feed ourselves, and we can also feed all those under our care. (Life-study of Luke, pp. 224-226) 

Further Reading: Life-study of Luke, msg. 27