Changing the Narrative: What Should We Seek From God?

By Peter Sergienko

This week’s gospel reading includes Luke’s version of the Lord’s prayer, which Jesus recites to his disciples in response to their request to “teach us how to pray.” This is followed by a parable from Jesus about persistence in prayer. I opened more tabs than usual to reflect on this scripture because it is foundationally and fundamentally about our relationships with the divine.

In this essay, I will explain what I believe Jesus taught us to ask for in prayer, relying on the text of the Lord’s prayer and the parables and teachings from Jesus that accompany it in scripture. Because these parables have informed and been used to justify the so-called Prosperity Gospel, which has gained considerable purchase in the American church and culture, I’ll briefly explain why that movement is the opposite of what Jesus taught, in my opinion.

Let’s get to it.

The Lord’s prayer appears in both Luke and Matthew. Before turning to the prayer, let’s consider the parables from both Gospels about persisting in prayer.

Here’s Luke’s from yesterday’s scripture:

"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 he 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 anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give 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!"

Here's Matthew’s version (Ch.7 v. 7-11):

“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 anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Of if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask.”

The Prosperity Gospel corrupted and institutionalized what Jesus taught about persisting in prayer—ask, search/seek, and knock, and God will give you good things—into a moneymaker for charismatic pastors. This is a very American theology based on the belief that Jesus and God want us to be materially wealthy. Prosperity Gospel pastors generally require the members of their churches to tithe, to give 10 percent of their income to the pastor/church to be in right relationship with Jesus and God. In addition to tithing, church members must follow all the other rules, whatever those happen to be, in order to be rich, literally. And the proof is in the pudding. If you are rich, it proves that you’re following all the rules properly and God is rewarding you for your obedience. If you’re poor, it proves that you’re not following the rules properly, because God is all knowing and will punish you even for your secret disobedience. It’s a very basic system of divine rewards and punishments, justifying any status quo of wealth inequality, with the pastor acting as an intermediary who speaks for God and sets up the rules.

For me, it’s impossible to see Jesus’s ministry and teaching as setting up a new system of divine reward and punishment, especially one that rewards and justifies the existence of the materially rich. Instead, I believe that Jesus came into the world primarily to destroy belief in a God who is ONLY a divine lawgiver and judge, whose ONLY purpose is to reward and punish us materially for our behaviors. Instead, I believe Jesus taught us to understand and believe in a God of love, mercy, and justice who is near to us in our lifetimes.

Let’s dig deeper into these parables and the Lord’s prayer to understand how I see it.

First, Luke’s version gives us a clear and obvious reason for persisting in prayer, because Jesus literally answers the question, “what we should be seeking from God” with “the Holy Spirit.” Not winning the lottery. Not fame. Not winning the big game. Not the promotion or the plum job assignment at work.

Second, Matthew’s version of the parable is within the Sermon on the Mount, and we have to dig a little deeper to find what we should be seeking from God. The parable appears after Jesus taught the version of the Lord’s prayer we use in church. It also follows many important teachings about prayer and our relationships to God and each other that critique the accumulation and display of material wealth.

Regarding prayer, Jesus said to do it humbly, in private, and using simple words, because God already knows what is on our hearts (Matthew Ch. 6 v. 5-8).

Regarding material wealth, Jesus said to forego treasures on Earth because they are fleeting and of no lasting value. Instead, we are told to store up our treasures in heaven (Matthew Ch. 6 v. 19-21). Jesus went on to say, “You cannot serve God and wealth (Matthew Ch 6. v. 24).

Regarding our relationships to God and each other, Jesus explained that our first priority is to seek the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. If we do this, the basic necessities of life—food, drink, clothing—will be given to us (Matthew Ch 6 v. 25-34).

In the larger sweep of the Jesus story, Jesus was forming the kingdom of God then and there, as he preached the Sermon on the Mount, through organized community solidarity and by building loving relationships. When a community has the right priorities, there will always be enough. Jesus taught and believed in the abundance of God’s creation, which will always provide for our basic material needs if we respect and are in right relationship with God and each other. If we are sharing God’s gifts freely, and if we are centering love, justice, and mercy in our interpersonal and community relationships, the material stuff will take care of itself.

Let’s turn briefly to the Lord’s prayer. I’m not going to get into the text much. The Church probably shifted Jesus’s words from the literal—we need food and debt relief right now, and please don’t make us go to court because the authorities are evil and they are sucking us dry—to more metaphorical understandings of the text once Christianity became an official state religion. Okay. But instead of going there, I am drawn to the last verse from Matthew, which occurs after the prayer. Just as in Luke, Matthew points us toward what we should seek from God in prayer: Forgiveness (Matthew, Ch. 6 v. 14-15).

To recap, seek the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God, and forgiveness in and through prayer. This clip from Gravity points us toward the one BIG thing that almost everyone eventually seeks from God in prayer, even folks with no religious training or tradition. The one BIG thing is also at the center of and, with the benefit of a few details, is consistent with the plain meaning of the Lord’s prayer: HELP! And even though Sandra Bullock’s character says that no one ever taught her how to pray, she’s doing a fine job of working it out.