If God could do one thing for you, what would it be?
My wife & I have three amazing kids. They’re amazing most of the time!
But here’s the thing about having kids, especially young kids: Kids ask a lot of questions.
According to one recent article I read kids ask on average 73 questions every day! Researchers say that a child’s inquisitive nature peaks at 4 years of age for boys & girls. They say that moms, on average, deal with 413 questions a week… and that’s per child!
Kids are persistent in asking their questions! They ask a lot of different questions. And sometimes they’ll ask the same question over & over again until they get an answer!
Sometimes I think we forget the importance of asking God questions.
But one way to pray is certainly the simple activity of asking God questions.
[Tweet “One way to pray is certainly the simple activity of asking God questions.”]We can do that because God is not just the Creator of all things, He’s not just the King of the Universe, He’s also our Father.
And like any good Father, He wants to hear us pray. He wants to hear our questions.
Unlike us earthly fathers… He doesn’t grow weary of our asking.
Why Don’t We Ask God?
Sometimes, I think we forget to be persistent in prayer.
Why?
Probably for a lot of reasons.
We think we’re bothering God.
He’s got a lot on His plate, keeping the world spinning, the planets aligned just right, making sure gravity stays intact, that we have breathable air & all that.
We think He’s got more important things to do.
There are people with more desperate prayer requests than us. There are people literally starving, or living in countries devastated by violence & war. There are good people who have had to leave their homes, their possessions & even their countries & are now living as refugees in foreign places trying to figure out how to live, how to take care of their kids.
Or we may think that God must not care.
After all, should we really have to ask the God of the universe more than once? What does that say about God if we pray & He doesn’t answer? Is God forgetful? Or does He just not care?
Or we may think we shouldn’t have to ask at all.
Isn’t God all-knowing? If God is all knowing & God is good & He knows just what I need… why should I have to ask at all?
Chances are, at some point along the way you’ve been discouraged in prayer & the trite answers you’ve been given by well-meaning people just don’t help & so… you stopped praying.
Jesus Answers the Number One Question about Prayer
So when Jesus gathered some of His first disciples to teach them about what life is like in His new Kingdom, he takes a moment to talk about prayer. He wants to remind them of the truth about prayer.
It’s important to remember that the Jewish people were a praying nation.
BUT…
It had been 400 years since anyone in Israel had heard a word from God. It had been 400 years of silence. 400 years since there had been a prophet from God, or a word from God, or a leader from God.
That’s a long time to pray & feel like your prayers have largely gone unanswered.
So when Jesus begins His ministry & gathers these early disciples, listen to what He says…
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
Jesus says… keep on asking, seeking & knocking. Keep on praying!
Most of the time I think we read this & we put the emphasis on human persistence. But I don’t think that was Jesus’ intention here.
He’s not telling his disciples to keep on asking, seeking & knocking in order to get God’s attention, in order to get God to do what you want him to do.
Jesus isn’t teaching human persistence in prayer! He tells his disciples to keep on asking, seeking & knocking because He’s trying to point them to God’s goodness!
It’s not about human persistence, it’s about God’s goodness!
God LOVES for you to keep on asking! God wants you to keep on seeking. God isn’t bothered at all when you keep on knocking on His door! Jesus is trying to say, it’s exactly the opposite! God LOVES it! And…
“For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
In other words, God’s door is ALWAYS open to you! Come on into His presence. You are welcome to talk to Him anytime. You are invited to ASK Him anything.
[Tweet “God’s door is ALWAYS open to you! Come on into His presence.”]If the question is…
If the question is, does God hear you when you pray? Does God care? Does God hear?
Jesus answers with a resounding, YES!
[Tweet “If the question is, does God hear you when you pray? Does God care? Does God hear? Jesus answers with a resounding, YES!”]Then Jesus, trying to help His disciples understand what God is like, says this…
“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?”
You can see Jesus’ sense of humor here…
“Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
Jesus says… if you, as perfectly imperfect as you are, if you know how to give good gifts to your kids, don’t you think that God, your Father in Heaven, is going to hear you when you pray & take care of you?!
Nothing gives God more delight than to give good gifts to you!
[Tweet “Nothing gives God more delight than to give good gifts to you!”]God hears you when you pray. And your Father in Heaven who sees everything, who knows everything, who is constantly at work, often in invisible ways for your good & for His ultimate glory, will hear your prayer & you can trust Him to do exactly what any good father would do for you in your situation.
I came across this quote from Tim Keller last week & I think he makes a great point…
“God will either give us what we ask for in prayer or give us what we would have asked for if we knew everything He knows.” – Tim Keller
The Love of Your Father in Heaven
Every parent or grandparent or person who has ever taken care of a child knows this, there are times when you can grant the requests of your children. And there are times that you cannot.
Sometimes they will understand. And sometimes, they will not.
But as the person in charge of them, you simply cannot do what they are asking you to do when they ask you to do it.
And that’s for ONE reason: YOU LOVE THEM.
Our Father in Heaven loves us more than we could possibly know. He loves to welcome us into His presence. He loves to hear us pray.
Jesus knew that you won’t always get what you want when you pray.
[Tweet “Jesus knew that you won’t always get what you want when you pray.”]His closest disciples would soon experience that in their own prayer life. And most importantly, Jesus didn’t always get what He asked for when He prayed!
Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, prayed that if there was any other way than the cross that God would do that!
Jesus isn’t saying, name it & claim it! Jesus isn’t telling you that God is a genie in a bottle. He’s better than that!
Jesus is saying that your God is your Father. Your Father is good. Your Father loves you. And your Father loves to give you what you ask for. So keep on praying. Keep on seeking. Keep on knocking.
The Promise
And here’s the promise, every time… every single time God will hear, God will answer the door & you will find God in prayer!
So, if you believed the God of the universe could hear you when you pray & would answer you, what would you ask for?
[Tweet “If you believed the God of the universe could hear you when you pray & would answer you, what would you ask for?”]Jesus says, ASK Him.
What are you desperate for God’s help with?
What is it that only God can do?
Who do you need God to help you reach?
Who do you need God to heal?
What is broken that you need God to restore?
Ask Him.
Jesus says, SEEK Him.
Are you wondering where God is right now?
Are you wondering if He is real?
Are you wondering if He’s near?
Do you want to know if He can help you?
If He cares?
If He knows?
If He can hear you?
Seek Him.
And Jesus says, KNOCK.
What door do you need Him to open for you?
What problem do you need Him to solve?
What relationship do you need Him to fix?
When’s the last time you knocked on the door of Heaven & entered into His presence?
Who do you need to carry through that door into the presence of our Father in Heaven in prayer?
Just Knock.
WHY?
“…how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
Because your Father in Heaven hears every prayer you pray.
[Tweet “Your Father in Heaven hears every prayer you pray.”]Want more from this Series… Click here.
