Just Ask

Have you ever undertaken a task of some kind, and part of the way through it you realized that you need an extra pair of hands or two in order to complete it? What did you do? Did you call up a couple of your friends or neighbors and ask them to lend you a helping hand? If you did then you likely asked them for help with the expectation and hope that they would indeed assist you with your project. After all, that is the general idea why someone asks for something, right? To receive or acquire what it is that you are petitioning for?

Ask – to request or petition for something.

Every day I put my shoes on to go outside, and as soon as my hand touches my first shoe I am immediately accompanied by a furry companion. My dog knows that whenever I grab my shoes I am probably going outside, and she wants to go too. She obviously cannot talk to convey this message to me, but she does just about everything else that she can to make her wish known through her actions, knowing that I will likely take her with me.

This is what it means to ask for something, exactly the kind of attitude that we should have when we come before God. We need to ask the Lord, in our prayers, throughout our day, believing and knowing that He will hear our prayers.

God wants to give us good things. He wants to give us the Holy Spirit, but we need to ask Him for it and we need to believe that we will receive it.

Luke 11:1-13  “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

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.

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Unlike my dog, we can communicate directly to God our desire for spiritual things. We don’t need to be afraid that our prayers will go unheard, or forgotten. God knows all things, and He will hear your prayers. You just need to ask.

In Christ,

Andrew