What do we ask from God? Is it what he wants to give?
In affluent America, sometimes the feeling is that God is the pipeline of financial prosperity. We pray for him to open the storehouses of heaven, to provide for all our needs, and to be there when we call on him.
Through the Word, we are given examples of people who asked for things from God. The real question is how God saw their hearts.
Today we will look at four examples from the Old Testament that show how God sees our requests.
When We Ask for God’s Blessing:
In Genesis 32:29, Jacob asked a question. He had long ago betrayed his brother Esau, and in the morning he would meet him again face to face. Who knew what would happen? Jacob was frightened. That night he was visited by an angel, and in Verse 29, he refused to let the angel loose until he received of him a blessing.
Jacob asked for the angel’s blessing that his life would be preserved. When our lives are in danger, whether from outside forces or from within, God wants us to pray for his blessing.
When We Ask for Reminders of God’s Glory:
The children of Israel had just passed across the Jordan, and we read in Joshua 4:6 that the stones they piled up were to be a remembrance unto the children, and when they asked about them, the elders were to tell of how the Ark of the Covenant passed over the Jordan, and the waters were cut off.
God wants us to be reminded of what he’s done for us, for his blessings are signs of his love. When we feel distant from him, all we have to do is ask, and he will remind us how much he loves us.
When We Ask for God’s Leadership:
Numbers 27:18-23 tells of Moses and his blessing of Joshua the son of Nun. Joshua’s responsibility was to ask God’s leadership for the children of Israel. He received the honor of Moses, so that the children of Israel would obey his instructions.
God is the one in control of our lives. When we ask him, he will provide the leadership that we need in our walk.
When We Ask for the Necessities of Life:
In Joshua 15:18-19, the land was being divided among the children of Israel, and Achsah, the daughter of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, alighted from her donkey and asked of her father, “Give me a blessing, for you have given me lands, and I also need water.” Caleb gave her the upper and nether springs.
When we are in need, God in heaven hears our prayers, for he is our Father who gifts us the breath with which we breathe. How will he not gift us food on our table and clothes on our back?
In Part 2, we will continue to explore God’s heart, and in Part 3, we will see how he feels when we ask for the wrong reasons.
God understands our frailties, and he will be there for us. All we have to do is ask for his help.
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