Ask in Faith

“…open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:10

Baby birds instinctively open their mouths, asking to be fed. A couple of years ago, we had a couple of blue jays build a nest right outside one of our windows in a tree. They brought sticks, leaves, twigs, built their nest, and laid their eggs into the nest. Once the eggs hatched, we would stare out the window and watch as the parents would bring back worms, berries, and bugs to feed their young chicks.

Immediately as soon as the parent landed on the nest, up would pop three or four heads, mouths stretched out wide, all waiting for food. They weren’t shy about it either. Each one of them tried to get that food, even pushing each other out of the way they wanted it so bad.

That is exactly how we need to act when we come before God in our prayers. We need to come boldly and believe that we will receive what we have come asking for.

Jesus illustrates someone who comes asking for something perfectly in a parable found in Luke 11. 

“And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 

For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 

And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 

I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Luke 11:5-10

Jesus explained that because the man who came asking for bread was importunate, he received what he came looking for. The word “importunate” or “importunity” means “persistent or pressing.” The man believed that he would receive bread if he persisted in asking for it. You could say that he had faith that he would get what he asked for.

God wants to bestow upon you spritiual gifts. It is something that He is very willing and glad to do when a person comes forward seeking those gifts. All a person needs to have is faith in their prayers and beleve the promise of God when He says that He will give them to you. 

Don’t go up to God in your prayers and ask, not sure if you will receive it or not. I personally used to have a difficult time asking for things because I didn’t know if I would get them or not. I didn’t want to be told “no” so I didn’t ask for things sometimes. But as I have grown older, I have learned to ask more boldly, believing that I will receive what I ask for.

Another example of when I was younger, if I broke something in the house, I had a very difficult time coming forward and admitting that I had done it, and apologizing. I was afraid that I would receive a punishment of some kind for what I had done, so I would try to ignore it and hope that no one would find out. What I should have done was immediately admit my faults and apoligize. I should have boldly come forward for forgiveness, just as we need to ask God boldly for mercy so we can be forgiven.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Before I end here, I want you to know that when we ask God in prayer, the kind of asking we are talking about is not like, “I want a brand new sports car, an oceanside villa, and a billion dollars.” Someone who asks for this is only focused on themselves, and this life. That is just a person who wants to amass earthly possessions for themselves, and not anyone else. James teaches that because they ask “amiss”, meaning “improper or wrongly,” they will not receive those things.

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:3

Someone could pray and ask God to kill someone, but obviously the Lord is not going to grant that request. That would be asking “amiss” and wrong. 

Our Lord is a good, just, kind God who loves you and is waiting to hear your prayers. He is waiting for you to come to Him asking for mercy so He can forgive you. He wants to give you spiritual gifts. They are there, waiting. All you need to do is ask in faith.

In Christ,

Andrew