Ask!

Matthew 7:7-11: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give food gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is i heaven give good things to those who ask him?"

The question remains: Why do we not ask? What is keeping us from taking our cares to God (1 Peter 5:7)? Do we not understand Psalm 16:11: "You make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore"? Why do we continue to live our faith like a double-minded person (James 1:5-8)?

Over and over again, we see in Scripture the command of God to ask him for our fulfillment. If we truly know Christ, then we trust that he is able to provide for all of our needs (Philippians 4:19). What is our ultimate need? Jesus himself. We need him more than anything and all we have to do is ask. 

We cannot ask for Jesus with a wavering spirit. We cannot ask for Jesus with one foot in the world trying to still claim our indepence. We must ask with everything: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart" - Jeremiah 29:13. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." - Luke 9:23. 

Let us ask God with full confidence for himself to be made known to us and his provisions in our lives. 

1. Why do you think we attempt to handle our issues before simply asking God? 

2. How do our requests to God coincide with doing what he has called us to do?

Peace, 

Jeff Moody

jeffmoody82@gmail.com

Comments

[Seth]

A main reason we don't ask is because we don't believe. It's very easy to "know" those Scriptures and use them when we want to feel better about God and about our situations, but do we really believe that God is going to show up? Do we really believe that God will direct us? When we're standing at a cross-roads in our lives, do we really look for God, or do we look to our circumstances and determine by our own reason which way God would want us to go?

James 1:5-8:

5) If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7) That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8) he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Even if you believe, are you willing to wait patiently for an answer, or accept the answer? That's a different discussion.

[Jeff Moody]

You're right Seth. We have to search our hearts and discover our unbelief.

I think one reason we don't ask is because it means we have to depend on God instead of ourselves. When we stand on nothing but God, it can be uncomfortable because we can no longer clean to anything we have done or can do.

I believe this is why God allows us to go through trials, so that we are left to only depend on him.

But what freedom we experience when we only depend on him!