Make Requests To God All The Time

Yesterday I had one of those common Christian experiences: I realized some truth that I already knew, but in a way that, for some reason, really hit home. I was out for my afternoon walk, enjoying the trees and the birds and of course thinking and conversing with God. Suddenly, I realized that it should be normal make requests to God and to make them often. And that in doing so my life would be much better because it is normal for God to answer persistent prayer.

I remembered that there are many instances in Scripture where we are told to ask. Jesus said, "Ask...seek...knock" (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9,), "You may ask me for anything in my name..." (John 14:14), and "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish" (John 15:7). Somehow our thinking gets twisted and it can seem more noble not to bother God with requests. After all, we are no longer little kids who always pester our parents for things, but we are adults with responsibility to provide for ourselves. But we are to be like children before God. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

The thing is that our asking is to be more than just an occassional request here or there. We are to be prolific in what we ask for and how often. According to Jesus, not a day is to go by without petitioning God: "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...Give us today our daily bread'" (Matthew 6:9). We are told, "...but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6). "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18). And we are to be persistent in our asking. Jesus taught that we should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). In fact, our lack is attributed to neglecting to ask: "You do not have because you do not ask God" (James 4:2).

Not only are we to persistently ask in prayer, but we are to expect God to answer: "when he asks, he must believe and not doubt" (James 1:6). "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it" (Mark 11:24). "In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation" (Psalm 5:3). It is so easy for prayer to seem rote because our expectations are low. But how could we expect God to answer unless he really does answer prayer? The promise of God answering prayer is abundant in Scripture. Jesus himself, promised many times that our prayers would be answered:

• Ask and it will be given to you (Matthew 7:7)
• How much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him (Matthew 7:11)
• Anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven (Matthew 18:19)
  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Matthew 21:22)
• I will do whatever you ask in my name (John 14:13)
• If you remain in me...ask whatever you wish and it will be given you (John 15:7)
• My Father will give you whatever you ask in my name (John 16:23)
  

Once again, it may seem unspiritual or selfish to expect God to answer prayer. But according to Scripture, it is not. The key is that the focus is meant to be on God. The goal of prayer is not simply to receive what we need. Rather, the purpose of answered prayer is for us to learn that God is gracious, good, generous, trustworthy, powerful, loving and merciful. And that in learning this we might trust in him, depend upon him and be happy in him.

The simple fact is that whether we pray or not, we all have needs, fears, hopes, dreams, wants. If we neglect praying for these, think of the alternative. We try to be God for ourselves. We strive for what we lack. We depend upon ourselves. The result is so often frustration, anger, worry, depression. James says, "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2).

Of course, there are times when prayer hasn't been answered. Sometimes God says no for reasons that may not be clear at that present time. Does that mean that because God has said no before that I should neglect placing my requests before him and expecting him to answer? Because God said no in the past, does that mean he will always say no in the future? There is only one way to find out: present our requests before him often and persistently. That is the only way to know. If God truly is generous, should we expect more prayer to be answered or less? I would think more. And if he does say no on occassion, don't you think that will answer all the more abundantly other requests if we are waiting for his generosity?

Blessings,

John