Form Me First, Then Give Me the Thing

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, July 27th, 2025:
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Luke
11.1-13

​Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

And Jesus said to the disciples, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ And your friend answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’

“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

“So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Is there any father among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give the child a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

In Luke 11, Jesus teaches that prayer is less about the words we say and more about the posture of our hearts. Our deepest petitions aren’t for things, but for the Spirit who prepares us to receive all that God in His infinite goodness and majesty longs to delight us with. 
This prayer flows from that truth.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for being the most wonderful Provider – for loving me so perfectly, and for all the incredible ways You move in my life, especially those I cannot yet see or even begin to understand. 
It is You alone who satisfies all my needs. In Your perfect love, You withhold nothing good, yet never give me more than I can bear. So rather than asking for the “what,” I humbly ask now for the preparation – that You would form me by giving me: 

• The spirit of love, so that I may serve You and my neighbour in the way that most pleases You, for even the greatest works amount to nothing if they are not done in love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
  
• The spirit of joy, to be the fuel for my perseverance as You forge me in the fire – that I may carry within me an unshakeable happiness, born of being deeply and unconditionally loved by the Creator of the Universe (James 1:2-3).
  
• The spirit of truth, to trust that my needs will be met abundantly, because when You give, Lord, You give to the nines! You pour out the finest wine and serve us with more bread and fish than we can possibly eat (Matthew 6:31-33).
  
• The spirit of wisdom, that I may not just accept but truly embrace my humanness. You love my weakness because it is at this boundary of my capacity that I am met with Your infinite power (2 Corinthians 12:9).
  
• The spirit of humility, to think of myself less and of You more so that I may conform my will to Yours. I am the blank canvas – You, the artist. I pray that I faithfully play my part as You mould me into the masterpiece You intend me to be (Isaiah 64:8).
  
• The spirit of obedience, to remain as a child that is fully reliant on You and does nothing apart from You, and to take the harder step of obeying those You’ve placed in authority over me (Hebrews 13:17).
  
  

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a poor sinner. Not because I am worthy, but because You are good. I pray that I might continue to follow Your lead as You shape my heart and spirit to receive what You already know I need.
Amen.




​Vanessa Noujaim

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