Discovering the Power of Asking God
One of the most powerful principles in God’s universe is the least understood and applied in our daily Christ-following. Scripture exhorts us to ask for what we lack. Yet we are reticent to do so for fear of abusing our relationship with Christ. However, once we consider scriptures, we are emboldened to approach our heavenly Father with our requests. So, let’s expand our ability and willingness to ask God for help by exploring one of the most powerful principles in the universe. I call it the ASK PRINCIPLE. It is simple yet profound and fully based on God’s Holy Word, the Bible. EMBRACE THIS PRINCIPLE ASK is the only acrostic in the Bible’s English translation. Matthew 7:7 spells it out for us: A = Ask; S = Seek; K = Knock. “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.” Matthew 7:7-8 NIV ASK IN LOVE How we ask matters. If we ask in love, we know we are being obedient, faithful Christ-followers. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 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 good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:9-12 NIV Our Father in Heaven wants to bless us and is completely willing to hear and consider all our requests. We should not hold back any petitions. Let’s lay them at our Father’s feet and trust that he will answer them in his own time, realizing it may be once we are with him in Heaven. CONFIDENTLY ASK We can be confident in asking God for anything. Many Scriptures make an overwhelming case that God wants us to ask him for everything we can imagine and more. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 2 John 5:14-15 NIV To bolster our confidence, let’s examine the wide array of scriptures that support this idea. Ask in Jesus' Name: "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:13-14 (NIV) Ask for Wisdom: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." James 1:5 (NIV) Ask with Right Motives: "You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:2-3 (NIV) Present Your Requests: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6 (NIV) Believe and Receive: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 (NIV) Remain in Christ: "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." John 15:7 (NIV) Call on God: "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV) Delight in the Lord: "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4 (NIV) Call on God in Trouble: "Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Psalm 50:15 (NIV) The Prayer of Jabez: "Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request." 1 Chronicles 4:10 (NIV) CONCLUSION My final prayer for us is this powerful “ask” that the Apostle Paul made of God in Ephesians 1:17 for us to have greater wisdom and revelation, so we can deepen our relationship with Christ. “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:17 NIV Notice that it isn’t a one-time ask. Paul says, “I keep asking …” So, too, let us keep asking God for all the desires of our hearts. And let us watch carefully what we ask for because that reveals a lot about where we are spiritually. Let us ask God for everything. Let us not grow tired of asking, even when what we ask for does not materialize. The act of asking brings us in contact with God, and he never gets tired of us praying to him. Ask well, my friends, Your aspiring servant, Daniel M. May 24, 2024 POSTSCRIPT: Dear friends, if this transparent “Conversations with Christ” blesses you, please go to www.SOLIDpastors.org, where you will find these posted, and a repository of all, in English and Spanish. If you ever want to chat, you can reach me at [email protected]. May Christ bless you richly as you have your own intimate conversations with Christ. Comments are closed.
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