Ask!
Luke 11:1
1 It happened that
while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His
disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught
his disciples."
So the disciples are gathered around, and Jesus gives them a
lesson about prayer. Skip over the
disciples’ prayer (I like to call Jesus’ prayer in
Luke 11:5-13
5 Then He said to
them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at
6 for a friend of
mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
7 and from inside he
answers and says, "Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my
children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.'
8 "I tell you,
even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend,
yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
Many people misinterpret this story to mean that God is the friend upstairs, and they pray for something over and over, thinking that they can wear down God with their persistence. But Jesus is really setting up a contrast. God is NOT the friend upstairs! You don’t have to persuade Him, all you have to do is knock.
9 "So I say to
you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it
will be opened to you.
Ask refers to asking for things for yourself. Seek is seeking for something for others, and knock is trying to open a specific door.
We must have that confidence that when we ask, we will get an answer! If we seek something for others, they will get exactly what is best for them. If we knock, the door will take you where you need to be. This is the confidence that we should have in prayer.
10 "For everyone
who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be
opened.
To have that confidence in prayer, we must understand the relationship between God our Father and ourselves. That’s why Jesus uses this analogy of a father and a son. Look at it this way: don’t you want to give your children what will make them happy? Of course you do! AND SO DOES YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER.
11 "Now suppose
one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish (this refers to necessities in life); he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?
12
"Or if he is asked for an egg (this
refers to the luxuries in life), he
will not give him a scorpion, will he?
13 "If you then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit (this doesn’t mean He will only give the Holy Spirit – Matthew 7:11 is
this same story, and it says the Father will give good things) to those who ask Him?"
Have the confidence in prayer that God wants to bless you! He wants you to be happy! He wants to give you good things that will make you happy. All we have to do is ask, and have the confidence that He has our best interests in mind. You may not get exactly what you ask for, but you will get exactly what God knows is best for you.
James 4:2
2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.