Ask, Receive and Give ThanksMostră

Day 1 - In prayer we can ask God for EVERYTHING

In prayer we can ask God for EVERYTHING. And EVERYTHING really means EVERYTHING; there are no limits!

REFERENCE VERSES:

Matthew 21:22

22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” 

John 15:7-8 and 16

7  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples

16  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 

John 16:23-24

23  In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 

24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 

Matthew 6:9-13

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

REFLECTIONS:

Read Matthew 21:22, John 15:7-8 and 16, John 16:23-24 and Matthew 6:9-13 and take a moment to answer the following questions :

➤ What are the things that we can ask God for?

➤ What conditions does Jesus give for our prayers to be answered?

➤ In Matthew 6:9-13, what does Jesus teach us to pray?

CONTENT:

When we talk about prayer, the first thing to say is that it is not talking about a religious act or a recital. Prayer is an actual dialogue that we have with God. The word “to pray” simply means “to ask”. So when Jesus teaches us to pray, He invites us to address ourselves to God, asking Him for concrete things, such as  our basic needs, forgiveness of sins and deliverance from evil. It is about simple, practical and measurable things.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when we ask someone if we can pray for their needs, their response is, “No thank you. That’s very kind, but not for me. There are so many other people who have more needs than I do.” 

And if we are not careful, we start to think the same thing. And so even though we are praying for our own needs, we feel unworthy of having our prayers answered. We have the impression that we don’t deserve it and view our needs as insignificant when compared with those of people around us.

This leads us to ask ourselves, more or less consciously, “Does God have the time to think about me? Doesn’t He already have enough to do with all of the other requests that He receives each day?”

However, when we look at Jesus’ life as it is written in the Gospels, we discover a totally different attitude to the one mentioned above. First of all, Jesus speaks with God within an intimate relationship, that of a father and son. For Jesus there is absolutely no reason why the Father will not answer Him. Don’t forget that by accepting Christ as our Lord and a Saviour, we have become children of God (cf. Romans 8:15). Since that moment, not only can we address ourselves to God for our needs, but more than that, God expects us to do it! In effect, God is waiting for us to approach Him in the same freedom and intimacy that Jesus displayed, so that we can present to Him not only our requests, but also those of other people. God is not limited; He is God! He can, without any problem, respond to several thousand people at the same time. Not only can He do this, but He wants to do this! 

Another thing; not asking God for anything for yourself is to demonstrate a false humility. It is nothing other than a disguised pride, believing that fundamentally we can get by on our own, without God. Prayer is one of the ways that God uses to develop our dependence on Him. The more we pray, the more dependent on Him we become. So let us be people who pray without ceasing. Additionally, when we begin to see our prayers answered, we become a blessing to those for whom we are praying, which will make us the solution for the world in which we live. Praying for yourself is not egotistical! Jesus taught us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread” because we cannot give what we haven’t received. And what we have received we cannot just keep for ourselves; we must share it with other people. The love that the Holy Spirit pours out into our hearts will help us to live in this way.

So Jesus says, “Ask whatever you wish” (John 15:7), and the Bible teaches us that there are no limits to what we can ask for—we can ask Him for EVERYTHING. Yet, sometimes we can think, “Only just what I need, nothing more”, or “Not too much, to avoid being disappointed”. It is as if God were poor or that He couldn’t answer our prayers. This is a lie. The Bible declares that God is rich for those who call on His name (Romans 10:12) and that He wants to answer our prayers.

EVERYTHING means EVERYTHING. There are no limits to what we can ask for within our intimate relationship with God—in this heart-to-heart place with Him where His will becomes our will, where He reveals His power, His love and His plans to us. It is because we know His will, and because He has placed within our hearts desires that He has created, that we are able to ask Him for EVERYTHING. Actually, Jesus tells us specifically under which conditions He answers our prayers: if we simply remain in Him and His Words (that is, His expressed will) remain in us.

In the following daily studies, we are going to look deeper at this question, but before we do so, it is important to establish in our hearts this faith—this certainty— that we can ask God for EVERYTHING, that nothing is prohibited, that there are no restrictions except those we impose on ourselves.

Take a moment to speak to God and allow Him to show you if there are any areas in your life where EVERYTHING is not EVERYTHING. Then repent of your unbelief and confess with your mouth His will—that is, that He wants to give you what His will is, which is EVERYTHING !

MY DECISION:

➤ What I have understood for my own personal life: 

➤ What I am deciding to do in my life based upon what I have just learnt: 

➤ What you decide to do today will determine who and what you will be tomorrow!

Adapted from "un disciple en marche" copyright 2018 by Luc Favre, published by Vie Victorieuse..