We all communicate with God through prayer, petitioning/asking Him for things to meet our needs, but what does the scripture really mean? I think we read these scriptures incorrectly. We assume we can ask for material things, that God is a box store like Macy’s or Harrod’s, or Amazon online. We read it in a secular sense and respond in a secular sense.
We often approach God asking like children with the ‘give me’s’, you know – ‘give me this, give me that.’ The truth is, prayer is the basis for approaching our Lord and asking for his mercy and his grace. It is a spiritual dialogue. Matthew 6:25- 33, paraphrased, says do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. We cannot add a single hour to our lives through worry. Our Father knows what we need. He created us before the earth and all that is on it. He knew us before we were born. He knows our destiny and the exploration of our life. There is little need to make these types of requests if we do not first seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. If we begin in faith, all the things we need will be given to us.
If we ask according to the will of God in the name of Christ, under the direction, guidance, and influence of the Spirit, in faith and fear, with submission to the divine will, we shall have what we ask for, not because we deserve it, but as a gift from God. God’s gifts are in reference to our needs, as he sees them, not necessarily what we want. The two are not necessarily synonymous.
“God will always give us good things. Our job is to understand what is good so that we know what to ask for. The natural mind cannot understand this. But, when we offer ourselves as “a living sacrifice” and are transformed by the renewing of our minds, then we “will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1–2). Then, asking for what we need in faith, we will have all we need for life and godliness and fullness of joy (John 16:24).” [Gotquestions.org] The scripture, knocking, seeking, finding and receiving is so much more than crying out to meet our daily needs, though if our wants are in line with His needs to move us forward, they will be granted.
The key is – When we seek God’s face and favor in prayer, we shall find Him. When we knock, we are knocking at the door of mercy; faith is our door knocker. When the door is opened, we receive God’s grace and mercy used to assist us in time of need. Seeking is the object of our prayer. The door that is opened, is the door to our salvation.
Images – Google Images; Bible.com
Scripture – Bible.com; Crosswalk.com
Resources – studylight.org/commentary/Matthew/7-8;Bible.com/Matthew/6:25-33; gotquestions.org/What did Jesus mean when He said, “Ask and you shall receive”?
Visit my Young Christian Warriors site. The earliest Posts were written to help parents guide and train their children to access the Word of God to direct their steps. Later Posts were written for everyone, though I believe the Posts to parents can serve as reminders for all ages.
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We must fight off the plague. We have to live Gods’ Commandment to be kind, compassionate and to forgive. To accomplish this task, we must stay in prayer to break through the darkness.
Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 