JUST ASK

Do you struggle like I do to ask for help when you need it? Maybe I am worn out from doing four loads of laundry, legs aching and feet swollen. Yet I just soldier on, doing the dishes after dinner instead of asking Steve to lend a hand. I know he wouldn’t mind. But still, I don’t ask.

I think that do-it-yourself attitude spills over into my prayer life. There are so many needs out there. I hesitate to ask God for something much less significant than healing of cancer or an end to the war in Ukraine.

In the Bible, as Jesus nears the end of His now-famous Sermon on the Mount, He tells the crowd and us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew Chapter 7. Do you notice that in the English language the initials for ask, seek, and knock spell ASK? What wonderful meaning this brings to the passage for me. It’s an invitation for us to just plain ask.

Ask: Don’t be afraid. Just tell God what you need. He has the power to do something about it. He loves and cares for you more than anyone else.

Seek: Take the time. As I shared in my blog post on Ray’s birthday, when we faced challenging times, I did not hesitate to go to the Lord in prayer. I sought quiet time with Him daily, sometimes many times a day. I’ve seen Him answer in surprising ways.

Knock: Just do it. Have you ever hesitated to knock at someone’s door, perhaps a neighbor you know only casually? Taking concerns to God can be like that. Maybe He’s busy, or my problem is too small for Him. The Lord always listens – that’s why Jesus invites us to ask, no matter how inconsequential we think it might be. If it’s important to us, it’s important to Him.

Is this a promise that every request is answered “yes”? God isn’t a genie. The truth is He has plans, and we have a purpose in them. If we love God, our requests will align with those purposes. Then it’s Yes and Amen.

Our God hears, loves, and answers in His perfect way and time. ASK!