You have not, because you ask not (3)
Dearly beloved, I
trust this finds you well and bubbling in the Lord. We thank God for another
week He has given to us. We continue looking at James 4v2 (NCV) which says “… You do not get what you want, because you
do not ask God.” When asking, we should know that God is not tired of our requests. He
wants us to keep coming to Him repeatedly. It is when we do not come to Him that
the problem comes – because it shows that we are relying on someone or
something else other than Himself. This was the problem with King Asa whom we
read about yesterday. 2 Chronicles 16v7-9 (NCV) saying ““At that time Hanani the seer came to
Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram
and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has
escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty
army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on
the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of
the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts
are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on
you will be at war.”
In Luke 18, Jesus told His
disciples a parable that encouraged them to always pray and never to grow weary
or give up (see below). The text starts and concludes by saying: “Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the
effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose
heart, and give up). … And will not [our
just] God defend and protect and avenge His
elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer
them and delay help on their behalf? I
tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge
them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence
in] faith on the earth?” Our persistence in prayer, shows our persistent
faith in God. Let’s come to God always and perseveringly. “… The earnest prayer of a righteous man has
great power and wonderful results” (James 5v16, TLB).
Prayer
Father, we thank
You for this day. We give You all honour and adoration. We thank You for You
are never tired of hearing our prayers. Indeed, You are a Father indeed. Before
we call, You answer, while we are yet speaking, You hear. We are so grateful
for this O God. Blessed be Your holy name forever in Jesus name we pray, amen.
Supplementary Text
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them
that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain
town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people
thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with
the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he
refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care
what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see
that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack
me!’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge
says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry
out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you,
he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of
Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”” Luke 18v1-8 (NIV)
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