Prayer: Ask With Persistence

Jesus taught his disciples how to pray as he knew that they would need to know to be persistent. From time to time we need this reminder as well.

Luke 11:9 says to ask God and it will be given to you, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9).

I think many of us have read this Scripture so many times that we have memorized the words, but do not realize what it is saying.

It is a question all of us must ask ourselves if we are to be honest and real with God. The fact is that God cares for us and tells us, “Ask me”. Maybe you’ve been let down by other people so much that you haven’t turned to God lately to ask Him for what you need or what you want.

As a mom, I am guilty of wanting to ask God for something but not feeling like I’ve earned it, as if I am not worthy of even asking my Heavenly Father for what I want. He already knows what is on my heart and He knows what’s on your heart too.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

These two pieces of Scripture should prompt us to wonder: what does God want His children to do?

The word “ask” is mentioned 232 times in the Bible and according to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word is primarily referenced to mean the following:

1) to request
2) to inquire
3) to request permission
4)  to obtain

If a word like ask is referenced this frequently we can only assume that this is clearly a message we all need to understand. I also believe this word is overlooked because the world tells us different things. The world likes to feed us the deception that we don’t need to ask God, either because we are not worthy enough, or, we are strong enough without God. It takes practice to keep reminding ourselves and one another of the truth that God has called us to.

There will be times in which we ask God for something and it doesn’t come to pass immediately, and we think God has told us no. In actuality, He may not of told us no, but His answer is not always in line with our idea of immediate. The answer may in fact be yes but the Scripture does not say it will happen immediately according to how fast we want God to work in our favor. After all, He allows things to happen according to His plan.

Furthermore, this particular verse first instructs us to ask God. This is not the end of your prayer but merely the beginning.  As you read on, you see further instructions of “seeking” and “knocking” especially in the above mentioned passage from Luke.

I’d love for us to share with one another as we seek God’s truth regardless of what our life situation is telling us.

What are you asking God for?