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!” Luke 11:12 ESV

My personal search for the Holy Spirit began in Lutheran catechism class. There I learned about the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Now I was pretty sure the Father was the one who was our creator, and Jesus also seemed familiar, since I had been coloring pictures of him with children and sheep since I was four, but the Holy Ghost had me stumped. So as any religious minded eight-year-old would do; I asked the best theological source I knew of: Louie and Wally: the guys who walked to school with me! Wally went to a different catechism class than me, but he also had no answer, so together we asked Louie, hoping that maybe the Catholics knew, but to no avail. Finally, one night while we were all camping out in our back yard, we decided to settle things by sneaking into the Catholic church around the corner from us. Being Summer, and in the days before air-conditioning, a small window had been left open and we quietly climbed in. We had no mischief in mind, we just simply tiptoed up to the front, wondering if the Pope was there and what he might say. Though the lights were on, the beautiful little church seemed empty, and after dipping our fingers into what Louie told us was Holy Water, we climbed out the way we had come in wondering if God was watching.

Today the Holy Spirit is still one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented topics in Christian circles. For some, the mere mention of the Holy Spirit will bring an entire room to a hushed silence. I fully understand that due to abuse of the topic that care must be taken, but we must not allow our fears to keep us from God’s promised gift. In hopes of casting some clarity let’s begin at today’s verse, where Jesus tells us that God has promised His Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Notice that the Holy Spirit is God’s Promise for everyone. This gift is not just for Apostles, Prophets and the first century church.

If we back up just a few verses, it is interesting that asking for the Holy Spirit is the culmination of what Jesus teaches about prayer. Jesus begins because His disciples have seen Him praying and are so impressed that they ask Him to teach them how to pray. Here in Luke, Jesus begins by giving a shortened form of what we call “The Lord’s Prayer”, and the first word in His prayer is, “Father.”

And he said to them, “When you pray, say: 
“Father, hallowed be your name.
 Your kingdom come. Luke 11:2 ESV

First it is vital to understand that the Holy Spirit is only for God’s children. Receiving God’s Holy Spirit is not for unbelievers. No amount of outward emotional display, miraculous signs or enthusiasm can change that. We must come to God in humble repentance, putting our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Secondly, Jesus tells us we must ask, and He goes into great detail about asking, “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9

It is interesting that while we use this promise for all kinds of requests, Jesus’ focus is on our asking for and receiving the Holy Spirit. So, let’s look again at this verse. First, “Ask and you will receive.” Here is a promise for a greater fullness that comes when we ask, not for material things, success or even healing, but for God Himself. Second, comes a time seeking. God allows us to pass through a space between asking and receiving, to test whether we will continue. Mary and Joseph had to travel 90 miles on foot to Bethlehem. The wise men came from over a thousand miles, but Jesus came all the way from Heaven to earth to seek for us. We have only to journey to the cross to find Him waiting there for us. Last of all comes knocking. When we have come as far as we know, and yet there appears to be a closed door at the end of the road, Jesus tells us not to turn away or sit outside in despair. The door is closed, but not locked and our Heavenly Father waits inside, eagerly listening for our knock. Do we desire Him more than anything else, or will we turn aside for something more easily obtained? Do not be afraid to bruise your knuckles on the door! God has promised bread and not a stone to hungry children, and an egg and not a scorpion for those who thirst for the living water of His Holy Spirit and all the fullness of Christ when He opens His door for us!