“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? … How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11–13
Heavenly Father, hallelujah for this rhetorical question from Jesus. When we are faltering, fearing and famished, you are so ready to give us more of the Holy Spirit. There is no Father like you—so dialed into our needs, generous with your gifts, and steadfast in your love.
You’ve already done so much for us by the Holy Spirit. You re-birthed us, sealed us, and now indwell us by the Spirit. Thank you. But we crave a fresh visitation of your “incomparably great power for us who believe” (Eph. 1:19-20). Only the Spirit can enable us to experientially know “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Jesus’ love is” for us and others (Eph.3:18-19).
And Father, grow a bumper crop of Spirit-fruit in our hearts (Gal.5:22-23).Turn up the volume of your Spirit’s voice in our hearts, declaring our adoption and belovedness (Rom. 8:16). Let us hear you joyfully singing over us in the Gospel (Zeph.3:17). Drown out all the noise, naysaying, and nonsense competing for our attention.
Father, like hungry baby robins, we welcome a Spirit infilling. We’d love so much Spirit-joy and renewed hope some might assume, as on the Day of Pentecost, we too have been partying at 9 o’clock in the morning (Acts 2:15). So Very Amen.