DO YOU WANT ANSWERS TO YOUR PRAYERS?
If you’re anything like me, we want answers to our prayers. Today’s blog should help with this. See, every morning Jeff, my husband, writes a word down for me. One particular morning he wrote the work ‘ask’. I then take the word to God, wait for some insight into how I might inspire others, and then share it on my Instagram stories. It’s a fun way to share God’s Word with the world and to stay connected. Now, this morning, upon reading Jeff’s word ‘ask’ the bible verse…
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7
…came to me right away. But, before my mind moved on to sharing this awesome command with my Instagram followers, I felt a nudge to wait and to listen up. A thought passed across my heart, mind, and soul. That thought being… “I don’t ask you to do anything I don’t do.”
Hum, why would that come to me?
See, I believe we hear this verse and think it is, or hope it should be, as simple as just ‘asking’ – and it is done. But, we need to know that this verse reflects on an attitude of HOW Jesus wants us to bring our requests to God. Our God, who is listening, paying attention to us, loves us, and wants good things for us. This awesome verse also cues up an approach for those of us who sometimes doubt and need-blind faith… as Mark 9:24 and John 14:6 say (Those who lack faith, but pursue truth, will find it in Christ.)
This attitude of prayer can bring us such peace in times of need. I want us to be diligent about our persistent pursuing-over believability and over insecurity in asking for bold things, or even over unworthiness to receive any sort of answer. God wants us to…
Ask. Do this by praying with all your heart. (Groaning is mentioned in the bible many times when we are encouraged to call out to God.) I like this because sometimes we have no words and God doesn’t need our words. He hears truth, pain, passion, and our heart so pray with all your heart.
Seek. So we know if we want answers to our prayers the request shouldn’t stop at the ask, we need to go deeper. Jesus tells us to then seek. He knows the answer is with God and we will struggle to tap into it so he teaches us to also seek. In this verse we are encouraged to start looking to Him for the answer because it is there, He always answers, and too often we simply blow by the answer. Even with the Holy Spirit right here with us, whispering and guiding us to his answers, we still overlook the doors and nudging. He sometimes even blasts them at us with a metaphoric megaphone But, we often leave our ask at the prayer, and miss His help altogether.
Jesus didn’t just cry out to God and leave it there…. he would seek.
He would often get away from the world and its distractions to better hear God.He called God by name, personally and intimately united with the awe inspiring power.
He would sometimes fast to keep his focus on God for answers, over self, the world, or others.
He was humble and surrendering in his desire for more of God’s Almighty wisdom and power which we do not have in the flesh.
Jesus left the Holy Spirit here for us, God’s children, but do we seek God this way, through the Spirit? Through Christ, we gain access to God in a way that is far greater than tossing up a few words and hoping they’ll be heard. We are heirs, He is OUR FATHER, we are HIS CHILDREN. What good is an earthy father we never knew, never dared to learn from, never called on…? We have the most powerful Father anyone could ever ask for, so let’s get to know him, dare to learn from him, and call on Him in the easiest way possible.
Knock. So if asking in prayer isn’t quite complete, and seeking is necessary…why then, would that not be enough?
Because to ask and seek we leave things in His ‘hands’ alone, us needing/requesting of God. He wants us to do our part as well. To run as we pray, so to speak. This can be tricky when we often don’t know what we are running to or even in what direction to head 😉
Or do we?
Think about when you go to a neighbors house and knock on the door for a needed last item to a recipe you’ve worked on for hours. You can pray that they are home and have the item you need, you can investigate if they are home by checking their drive for a car or if their lights are on (seek) and all that is good before you head over. But, if you really need their help, you might just have to go knock on their door.
It’s the physical part that we do to get our answer. And, what do we all do AFTER we knock?
We listen, we pull our ear closer in and listen for what… footsteps…a sign that they are home.
Today I want us to think about the attitude of prayer we have.
→Do we ASK God with all our heart?
→Do we SEEK God by name – and in the name of Jesus, through the Spirit?
→Do we KNOCK on God’s door…
- Read His Word
- Turn to wise counsel
- Lean into worship
- And then… listen and wait.
IF YOU WANT ANSWERS TO YOUR PRAYERS DID YOU EVER THINK OF IT THIS WAY?
Okay, now I want to take us back to my opening thought of God not asking us to do something He wouldn’t do.
GOD’S ASK: Do you suppose GOD is asking you to do something? Praying for you to answer Him?
GOD’S SEEK: Do you stop to consider how GOD is seeking you, with the help of the Holy Spirit?
GOD’S KNOCK: Do you know that God is knocking at your door?
We have free will friends. If you want answers to our prayers, let’s pray with everything we’ve got, seek answers, and bend an ear to the Holy Spirit
March 21-23 I am doing a FREE 3-Day mini-course, Fortifying Your Prayer Life & Embracing Its Fruit. It’s one of my coaching clients‘ favorite coaching tools. I’d love to have you join us.
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Live | Love | Learn | Lead according to the call God has on your life! – Niccie
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