Alvin Vandergriend- "Whether we like it or not," said Charles H. Spurgeon, asking is the rule of the kingdom." God delights in our asking because we are His children. His Father-heart leaps for joy when we come asking. This kind of prayer keeps drawing us back into the dependency of the parent-child relationship.
Petition is asking God for our personal needs. I want to emphasize here that it's okay to request God's blessing for ourselves. Some people think petition (asking for ourselves) is a more primitive form of prayer, reflecting a still-somewhat selfish spirituality, while prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and intercession reflect a higher kind of spirituality. (Google image, Woman who prays)
That's unbiblical thinking. We are forever dependent on God, so we need constantly to be asking for His blessing on us. God has much to give, and we have great need. Petitionary prayer connects our needs to God's generosity. The Bible is full of it.
Jesus unabashedly commends petitionary prayer. To encourage His disciple in prayer, He said, "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. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Luke 11:9-10).
God likes to have His children ask. He is not bothered by our asking, even when we come to him with the smallest details of our lives.
In Hebrews 4:16 we are urged to approach God's throne of grace with confidence to receive what we need from Him. God invites us to come with confidence in the awareness that Jesus has opened the way to God's Father-heart for our sake and that He is committed to meeting our needs.
And we are able to come with confidence that Jesus will understand, for He "has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
The Lord invites us to come with a consciousness of our sin asking for mercy--not to receive the punishment we really deserve. Jesus stands ready to meet us, no matter what our need may be.
It's an insult to God not to come asking. Saint Theresa of Avila once declared, "You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him."
What are you going to ask?
(pp. 36, 37 in Love to Pray- 40 Day Devotional for Deepening Your Prayer Life by Alvin Vandergriend)
Let's pray-
Father, there have been times when we've been asked to pray for, or help in some way to meet someone's need, and it has made us feel honored. We are learning to come to You, to appeal to Your father-heart for our needs, knowing that Your desire is for us to come to ask for help.
We praise Jesus Christ, our heavenly High Priest, who entered into the heavenly throne room for us, understanding and fully sympathizing with our various needs. If we have failed to regularly approach the throne of grace to ask for Your mercy and grace, we confess this failure now, and recognize the true nature of our dependency is upon You.
We thank You, for Your readiness to forgive and help us in our needs. May we remember that You've promised to help us when we ask. When we desire to experience joy, self-control, and brotherly kindness, it's Your delight to help us be in a situation where we can be growing in our maturity among believers, preparing for our entrance into heaven one day.
We come, asking for Your favor in the name of Jesus. Amen
Many are behind the scenes in an effort to accomplish something for the Lord. Find what your part is, and do it the best you can as you rely on Him to guide you. As we all need to become a part of what the Lord is doing in and through our churches, it is important to pray about your part, to honor Jesus in what we're asked to do.
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The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,
located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,
broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15
You can view past services too.
Sermon listing:https://www.
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