I’m sure that nearly all of us can remember a time when we were shopping at a market or department store when all of a sudden we heard a voice say, “I want that!!! Can I have it?!” This voice almost always comes from the mouth of a young child, and it has always seemed to me that young children are always so eager and desirous to get something that they just simply ask for it. No hesitation at all! They might be sitting in their cart as they go through the store and see a delicious treat or a cool toy and immediately say, “I want that!”
Well that is exactly how we need to act when we come before God in our prayers. We need to come boldly before the Lord, asking in faith for the things which we petition of Him. No doubt, just complete faith. Jesus perfectly illustrates someone who comes asking for something 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 spiritual 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 apologize. 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 mansion that I can live in. I want a billion dollars for myself.” 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
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. Be like a child again, and ask in faith, believing.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 