Ask and You Shall Receive

“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.  And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment.  And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He is him.  And hereby we know that He abideth in us, be the Spirit which He hath given us.”  I John 3:22-24

When one is obedient to the Lord and is not harboring some secret or not-so-secret sin, the Lord will supply whatever is asked of Him.  Does that mean we can have anything we desire?  No, of course not.  You wouldn’t give a child whatever he desired because kids can want some pretty expensive and/or age-inappropriate things.  You wouldn’t give a ten-year-old a car.  You wouldn’t give him anything with which he could harm himself, become obnoxious, or hurt others.  There are lots of things that children do not have the maturity to manage.  There are also lots of things that Christians lack the maturity to keep in proper perspective.  John’s statement implies that a believer will not ask for anything that defies God’s honor and glory or anything that does not benefit spiritually the one who is requesting through prayer.

It is all about praying for God’s will to be done and being dependent upon Him for everything.  We must keep His commandments by which we show to Him our desire to obey Him.  We must have the right motives in our desires from Him.  When we ask for what is proper and good, He usually gives us more than we ask for because He is the God who rewards those who are pleasing in His sight.    Just as a parent who loves his or her child wants only what is best for that child, so our heavenly Father wants only what is best for His children, and because He is the omniscient God, He knows what is best for us.  The Lord will not give His children a poor substitute for something He desires for us to have.  An earthly father wouldn’t give his child a stone for bread if the child is hungry nor a snake for a fish, and neither will God give us something inferior or of little use to us (Luke 11:11).  Even the best gifts that we give our loved ones are nothing compared to what God has for us.

Speaking of God’s will, what is the one thing that He desires for all people.  Is it not that all people should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ?  And that all people would love one another?  These aren’t suggestions; these are commandments.  It is not God’s will that anyone spend eternity in hell (I Timothy 2:4) which was created for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).  Thus, to reject Christ and His sacrifice that paid the sinner’s penalty is to violate God’s commandment.  God can forgive all other violations of all of His commandments accept this one.  To break one commandment is to break them all (James 2:10).  The entire law and will of God are wrapped up in believing in Christ.

One of the best ways to know that one is a child of God is by obeying Him and keeping His commandments.  If one has no desire to please God and/or honor Him by service, worship, and praise, then he or she doesn’t really know God.  The Lord doesn’t abide in him or her nor does he or she abide in Christ.  The Holy Spirit lives within the believer as a constant companion, leading, protecting, comforting, and convicting the believer.  One of my former pastors, Roscoe Davis, used to say that if someone lives in your house with you, you can’t help but notice him or her, thus if the Holy Spirit lives within a person, that believer can’t help but notice Him.  Romans 8:16 tells us that “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”.

For the believer who desires to follow the will of God and desires for God to answer prayer, there is a definite pattern to emulate.  Remember that we need to be praying for our needs and desires according to God’s will.  Then, first we ask, then seek, and then knock.  Asking, seeking, and knocking shows us a progression of active involvement in our prayers.  How else can we receive something we desire if we don’t ask for it?  How can we find what we desire if we don’t seek for it?  And how can God’s blessings be opened unto us if we don’t knock on the door of spiritual opportunities?  Jesus urges His followers to desire, request, and actively pursue their needs at the throne of God.  That is faith in action.

How do we know what we pray for is in God’s will?  We don’t always know, but we do know that if our desire is a selfish desire, then we probably shouldn’t be wasting our time in asking for a luxury car or some other item that benefits our egos.  God knows we need transportation to get to work, school, church, and other places, and He will provide it if we trust in Him.  He knows we need food, clothing, and shelter.  King David wrote in Psalm 37:25 that from a young age until he became an old man (his term, not mine; he died at 70 years of age), he had never seen the righteous forsaken nor his children without food and the necessities of life.  I am a firm believer that if we truly trust in the Lord for our needs, He will never let us down.  Growing up, my family would have been considered lower middle class, but so was just about everyone else in the 1950’s.  However, because my parents trusted in the Lord, we always had everything we needed.  Perhaps we didn’t have everything we wanted, but we made out just fine.  So, trust God for everything, and you will have all you need and then some.