May 4
“You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:2b-3)
As we finish up this crucial topic of reinforcing our lives with prayer, let me encourage you to ASK God, and keep asking until you receive your requests. I think we commit two grievous blunders when it comes to prayer:
(1) We fail to ask God for things that are eternally important. We are content to muddle through life with all kinds of difficulties and problems, and we simply don’t take them to God in prayer. When we do pray, we ask God to give us stuff, keep us safe, and keep us healthy. Am I not correct? Can’t we honestly say that the majority of prayers we and other Christians pray fall into these categories? “You do not have because you do not ask.” Why aren’t we asking for God’s wisdom, grace, and peace on a regular basis? Why aren’t we asking God to redeem our time and bear much fruit for eternity through us? Why aren’t we more burdened for the salvation of our neighbors and loved ones?
(2) We fail to keep on asking. When we do finally ask God for spiritual help and things that glorify Him and count for eternity, we may ask a time or two, but we don’t repeatedly and urgently come to God petitioning Him for these things. We are rarely like the widow in Luke 18. If someone we know has a serious illness, oh how we will pray! But do we have that same urgency for spiritual and eternal matters? Do we keep pressing God for breakthroughs and answers for the things that determine our and our loved ones’ spiritual health or even eternal life or death?
- Are you feeling burdened about finances?
ASK for God’s wisdom, and keep asking until God shows you the way forward.
- Are you feeling anxious about specific matters or life in general?
ASK for God’s peace, and keep asking until God gives you His peace.
- Are you wondering how you can continue on?
ASK for God’s strength, and keep asking until you have His power within you.
- Are you struggling with recurring sins that you can’t seem to overcome?
ASK for God’s purity, and keep asking until you love righteousness and hate sin.
- Are you burdened for a loved one, lost or wandering from God?
ASK for God’s intervention in their lives, and keep asking until He does it.
- Are you heavy hearted because of relationships gone wrong?
ASK for God’s love and wisdom, and keep asking until relationship is restored.
- Are you concerned about the way the world is going?
ASK for God’s glory to be revealed, and keep asking until you see His working.
- Are you frustrated or exasperated with certain people in your life?
ASK for God’s patience and grace, and keep asking until you are God’s instrument in their lives.
More on this crucial topic of prayer tomorrow.