Ask The Right Question!
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 LSB
Jesus encourages us to ask Him for a variety of things throughout Scripture. We should ask for His Kingdom to come, supernatural wisdom, extraordinary strength, and comforting peace to name a few. We know He is generous and wants to give His children good gifts. Think about it, the One Who spoke all of creation into existence, wants to grant us the desires of our hearts. The One Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, wants to fill our barns and our vats to overflow. Sounds amazing for sure, but let's never forget what is required in return. We're to love God with all of heart, mind, soul, and strength. We're also called to love our neighbors as ourselves. God knows us well; without the proper focus we'd ask out of selfish motives and for our own gratification. God loves us too much to allow us to drown in our own greed. To experience the abundance God desires for us, we must ask the right questions with the right attitude.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5 LSB
Sometimes it's not clear what we should ask for or how exactly we are to ask. We know God is not going to grant us anything outside of His will. God is also not a vending machine where we throw a demand, disguised as a prayer, at Him and He responds exactly how and when we dictate. We also can't tell God how and when He should take care of our wish list. Not only is it irreverent behavior, but it’s also foolish and a potential pathway to sin.
A better option when it's not clear what to ask for is to ask for wisdom and guidance. God has blessed us with His Word and indwelled us with His Spirit to guide and counsel us. When facing a challenging situation or a seemingly overwhelming obstacle, we may be tempted to ask 'why' when it’s better to ask 'how'. Why things are happening the way they are may not be something God chooses to reveal right away, which makes asking how to navigate the circumstances more productive. Often when we seek the 'how', He draws us closer, and we're comforted simply by abiding in the love of Christ. Does that make everything better or satisfy our wants? Probably not but as David wrote in Psalm 37; if we delight ourselves in Him, He grants us the desires of our hearts. Clearly God knows what we need better than we do. We experience pure joy and contentment when we rest in Him. Often, it's in the midst of resting that we see God's greatest work in our circumstances.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:7 LSB
Simply put, when our prayers are aligned with the will of God, they’re answered in His perfect way, in His perfect timing, and all for His glory. Our faith gives us the ability to remain at peace regardless of when the Lord chooses to respond. Abiding can't be intermittent or conditional. For the believer in Christ, abiding is as essential as breathing. Unfortunately, it's not quite as natural for us as we wrestle with our emotions and our flesh. Praise God for His patience and mercy! When the struggling father cried out, "help me in my unbelief", Jesus showed compassion not contempt. Jesus knows we won't be perfect at abiding until we reach glorification. The key for us is to be intentional and recognize opportunities to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness rather than our kingdom and self-righteousness. The more we put this into practice, the more we'll see our prayers being answered, often in ways we'd never imagine.
Asking the right questions, in the right manner, with the right attitude will yield incredible results. Not just because we presented our requests but because of the love and through the power of the One we ask. The next time you petition the Lord, remember Who you're asking and trust in Him to respond.