Printed Service – Sunday 27th July 2025

Save PDF

Printed Service for 27th July 2025
Midnight Knock: Praying with Confidence in God
Prepared by Rev Paulson Devasahayam

Call to Worship
“Come near to God and He will come near to you.” (James 4:8) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Opening Prayer:
Lord, we give You thanks and praise for the wonderful ways You are leading us. We remember with grateful hearts the mercy and compassion you have shown in our lives. Today, we come before you with confidence, knowing that you never ignore our prayers. You are always listening, always near. Help us, Lord, to worship You in spirit and in truth. Open our hearts to experience your love and grace in this service. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Hymn StF 34 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
Watch on YouTube

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.

Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness:
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.

Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine:
truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.

These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.

Prayer of Adoration : Lord, we praise You that heaven is open to us because of you. As the Scriptures say, your ear is never closed, and your hand is never short to save. We magnify your name.

Lord, we praise you for being the God who listens. You have heard our spoken prayers, our silent cries, and even our sighs have not gone unnoticed by you. We magnify your name.

Lord, we praise you for the grace you have given us to ask, the invitation to come boldly before you.
We magnify your name.

Lord, we praise you for the door you have given us to knock upon, knowing you will answer in love.
We magnify your name.

Lord, we praise You for the path You have set for us to seek, and the promise that those who seek will find.
We magnify your name.

You are the God who hears, who responds, who welcomes, who provides, who reveals. For all that you are and all you do,
We magnify your holy name. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Merciful Lord, as Adam’s helpless race, we come before you, seeking your forgiveness in our lives. We confess the times when we lacked confidence in your promises, and the opportunities we missed to welcome both friends and strangers into our comfort zones.

We are sorry for the times we lacked the courage to ask for help, failed to understand the needs of others and hesitated to seek out what was needed to serve you faithfully.

Forgive us, Lord, for our weakness in persistence, and for giving up too soon when you were calling us to persevere. But now we come to you, Lord, trusting in your mercy. You are the Father who gives bread, not stones; fish, not serpents; eggs, not scorpions.

Gift us, we pray, with your Holy Spirit, that we may discern your path, walk in your vision, and live in the grace you freely give. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Hymn StF 254 Seek ye first the kingdom of God
Watch on YouTube

Seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you;
Allelu-, alleluia:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu-, alleluia!

Ask, and it shall be given unto you;
seek and ye shall find;
knock, and the door shall be opened unto to you;
Allelu-, alleluia:

We shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord;
Allelu-, alleluia:

Bible Reading : Luke 11: 1-13
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just 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. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacityhe will surely get up and give you as much as you need.“So, I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Hymn StF 501 Help us, O Lord, to learn
Watch on YouTube

Help us, O Lord, to learn
the truths your word imparts:
to study that your laws may be
inscribed upon our hearts.

Help us, O Lord, to live
the faith which we proclaim,
that all our thoughts and words and deeds
may glorify your name.

Help us, O Lord, to teach
the beauty of your ways,
that all who seek may find the Christ
and sing aloud his praise.

Sermon
We know from Scripture that Jesus was a man of prayer. His life was profoundly shaped and guided by prayer. The disciples noticed that Jesus prayed in a different way. He didn’t follow the usual patterns. He prayed at different times, in different ways, for different reasons, and always with a deep sense of intimacy with the Father.

One day, after watching him pray, one of his disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray”. This moment is recorded in Luke 11:1-13, where Jesus not only gives them a model prayer but also tells a parable to explain what prayer is truly like. He described a person who opens his home to a friend arriving late after a long journey. Finding no food in the house, he runs to a friend’s home and knocks at midnight, asking for bread. Though the friend is reluctant at first, he eventually gets up and gives what is needed.

This parable is more than a story. It’s a window into how prayer works and how we are called to trust in God. Today, as we look deeper into this parable, may we rediscover the beauty, the urgency, and the deep assurance of a life shaped by prayer.

Firstly, the needs are to be carried through prayer.

In the parable Jesus tells, a man receives a guest who arrives after a long journey. Though he is willing to help, he finds himself without the resources to meet the need. So, in the middle of the night, he goes to a friend’s house, knocks persistently, and asks for bread.

This teaches us something important: real needs must be carried or lifted up through prayer. The man did not sit helplessly with the problem. He took action, even when it was inconvenient. He carried the burden to someone who could help.

In the same way, when we encounter needs, our own or those of others, we are called to carry them in prayer. Prayer is the way we bring hunger, pain, confusion, and longing into the presence of God. We don’t push these needs aside or wait until it’s more convenient. We bring them to God urgently and persistently.

When we live in a relationship of prayer, we do not remain detached from the world’s suffering. Instead, we allow the needs around us to enter our hearts, and we lift them up to God. We become people who carry burdens—not alone, but prayerfully.

This is the first lesson of the parable. The needs of the world cannot be ignored or delayed. They are to be carried to God through prayer.

Secondly, prayer helps us in our inability to meet the needs.

In the parable, the man opens his home to a tired traveller friend but quickly realises that he doesn’t have what is needed to care for him. He is willing, but he is unable. So, what does he do? He goes to a nearby friend and asks for help, even though it’s midnight.

This reminds us that prayer begins when we admit our own limits. Many times, we may want to help, to act, to fix—but we simply don’t have the strength, the words, the wisdom, or the resources. And that’s exactly where prayer becomes powerful. Prayer begins where our ability ends.

Let’s look at the excuses made in the parable and see what Jesus is teaching us through them:

Time –“It’s midnight” The friend says it’s too late. But it’s never too late for God. He is never off duty. There is no “wrong time” with Him. The Door is Locked Human help is often limited. People may close their doors or turn us away. God’s door is never locked to those who come in faith.

Inconvenience – “My children are with me in bed”
The friend says it’s too much trouble. But God never says, “Now is not a good time.”
Friendship Fails- In the end, the man admits that even friendship won’t move him at that hour.

So often, we worry about whether we have the ability to act. But Jesus teaches us that it’s okay to feel weak or helpless. Because that very weakness can lead us into prayer. And prayer lifts the burden from our shoulders and places it into God’s hands.

When time fails, when doors are shut, when others say “not now,” there is still a place where we are welcomed. A place where love responds, not reluctantly, but richly. That place is prayer.

Finally, prayer is knowing who can truly meet our needs.

Even if a situation drives us to pray, the parable reminds us that prayer is not just about asking, it is about trusting the One we ask. It’s about knowing that there is someone who hears, who understands, and who responds with love.

The man in the parable knew where to go. He went to the house of a friend who had bread. He believed there was someone who could help. That confidence made him knock, even at midnight.

In the same way, prayer begins with the trust that God is able. Prayer is not just about voicing our needs—it’s about laying our burdens before the One who can truly carry them. It’s about knowing that there’s a place we can go, a place where we are heard, and a place where our needs truly matter.

We may hear excuses in our lives, like in the parable.

“It’s too late” — but God never sleeps.
“The door is locked” — but heaven’s door is open.
“My children are in bed” — but God is never too busy.
“Even friendship won’t move me” — God is beyond human relationships.

All these human limitations point us to one truth: our hope is not in people, but in God.

Prayer places us in a posture of delightful dependence, not desperate begging, but confident trust. We are not trying to convince a reluctant God. We are leaning on a loving Father who already knows what we need and delights to provide. Amen.

Prayer of Intercession

Lord, we confidently come to your throne of grace, trusting in your mercy and love. We ask for your blessing upon us and upon this world.

Lord, it is midnight, and for many, life feels heavy. We are weary from long journeys, tired in body and soul, in need of peace and rest. Some long to help others but have no bread to offer. In your mercy,