Ask: Day 7

Devotion by: Jane Cooper

Psalm 116:1-2

I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

When I was a kid, there wasn’t much benefit in asking my parents if I could do something special that was not related to church or school. My mother would say, “We’ll have to ask your father.” My father had three basic replies: #1 (his most frequent) was “No”; #2 was “I don’t care; ask your mother”; and #3 was “We’ll see.” I don’t think I ever remember him saying “Yes.”

As I have grown up, I have consciously tried to be more positive when people have asked me to do something. I don’t always say “yes,” but I don’t automatically say “no.” Sometimes I say, “Sure! That sounds like fun.” Most often I say “Let me think about it, and I’ll pray to see how God directs me.” That may seem like I’m passing the buck, but what I have learned is if God is in it, He not only gives me the inspiration, but He equips me and often sends others to assist to make the task easier and more fruitful.

Isn’t it nice that with God, you just have to ask, and then trust that He will answer your prayers in the best way possible?

PRAYER: Lord, You have shown us in countless ways that You answer our prayers. May we be thankful for all that You give to us, and gracious enough to step up when You ask, directly or through others, something from us. Amen.

Ask: Day 6

Devotion by: Donna Kiffe

Matthew 7:7-8

‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

In late January, my husband’s mother died after a long illness. She was in pain at the end, but could not communicate to anyone how they might help her. My brother-in-law asked me how God could allow such suffering in someone who served Him and other people so well and lived by the golden rule all her life. He didn’t expect an answer and I certainly did not have one. In fact, I have often asked “why?” when life seems unfair or unknowable to me. I ask friends for clues; I ask God for enlightenment. I have never gotten an answer that lays this question to rest. Even Jesus asked God from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” I guess we, as humans, must be resigned to suffering during our lives on earth and no one is spared. But when we ask why this is and we search for answers, we are following God’s directive that we look to Him for guidance. We must ask and pray continually, so that when we ultimately meet our end, the door will then be opened and the answers will be found. We should never give up on this quest, because what is beyond the door is the miracle of eternal life and the end to all suffering. God will be the one who opens it for us.

PRAYER: Dear God, when I ask for answers, please give me the “peace that passeth understanding,” for I know I will not truly understand until I am with you. Amen.

Ask: Day 5

Devotion by: William Wagner

James 1:5-8

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

The Book of James gives us a practical approach for living as a Christian. In this passage we are told that we can and should ask God for wisdom, when we feel that we are lacking such abilities. However, the verses also tell us that we should not be in doubt, with part of our mind focused on God and the other on the world. Rather, we should be asking in faith and believing that God will provide us what we have asked for. How often do we ask for things in our daily life, while being in doubt about whether we will receive what we have requested? While there can be uncertainty in our own daily life as to whether our family or friends will fulfill our request, we need have no fear that God will not answer our prayers. But there is a catch! Are we asking for God to show us how to escape or get out of our troubles or are we asking him to give us wisdom so that we learn from our difficulties so that we can avoid them in the future? And sometimes we are asking God to provide or do things that are not part of his plan. How glorious it is when His plan is revealed and we see the wisdom of his choice in our lives.

PRAYER: Gracious God, we ask that you will provide us with the wisdom to learn from our errors and our bad decisions. Help us to learn and see your plan for our lives that we may fulfill the plans that you have had for us from the very beginning.

Ask: Day 4

Devotion by: Steve O'Connor

Isaiah 55:6-7

Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”

In this verse, Isaiah provides sound advice for those seeking to gain God’s ear. We should call on God with our petitions when God is near. Whether or not God is near depends on us. God does not put distance between Himself and us. We drift away from God. Isaiah urges us to ask for God's help before we have drifted away from Him, that is, at times when we may find Him.

Makes sense. When we ask for something of someone we are close to it is more likely our request will be heard. Ask for something from someone who we have alienated and it may be that our request falls on deaf ears. I would guess that most of us have experienced this at one time or another.

PRAYER: Gracious God, during this season of Lent help us to open our hearts to you so that we may draw ourselves closer to you. Allow us to draw near to you so that when we call on you our voice will be heard. Amen.

Ask: Day 3

Devotion by: Rudy Chatlos

John 16:23-24

On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

In this section of John, Jesus is talking about a new relationship between the believer and God. He is attempting to prepare his disciples for new events, things being different. In the past, believers could only approach God through priests. But with Jesus’ death and resurrection, believers can have a direct relationship with God. Jesus has made us acceptable to God.

PRAYER: Our Father, you have sent Jesus to show us the way. Teach us to ask in Jesus’ name and then to be open to the joy we have been promised in receiving the many gifts and blessing you give to us. Amen.

Ask: Day 2

Devotion by: Robert Hummel

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Such beautiful poetry that Saint Paul has written: Words that have transformed the lexicon across the ages. He reminds us to trust in God, and to put our worries and fears aside, and he advises us that prayer can comfort us, much as his words, which are like a prayer themselves, provides comfort to the listener.

I was very young. I had lost a pen while playing in the playground. It was a pen that my Dad had given me. Not a standard ballpoint pen, but a fancy new kind of rollerball pen. It had been a present to inspire me to continue to get good grades and do well in school. It had probably cost 20 dollars. I was proud of it, and had lost it. And I prayed to God to help me find that pen. And I stayed after school, and returned several times to the playground, and walked back and forth, and all around, looking for that pen. And I prayed more. Please God: Let me find that pen.

I never found the pen. I wondered whether God had let me down, or if I had let God down. I told my Dad that I had lost the pen, and I was so sorry. He told me that sometimes things get lost, and he got me a new pen. I still felt guilty, but relieved. And ever since, I have always enjoyed trying different kinds of pens, and purchasing nice, but not extravagant, new kinds of pens. I remember finding a store that sold nothing but pens. I told the shopkeeper that I too had a deep interest in pens.

It took me many years to begin to understand.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, you have blessed us with the ability to write. You have showered upon the earth writing instruments, and language, and knowledge. When I asked you to help me find that pen, I am sorry that I tested you, but I now know that I was not in need of that particular pen. What I needed, and what you provided, was the love of my father, and the comfort of our Savior, our Father in Heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ask: Day 1

Devotion by: Antonia Siebert

1 John 5:14-15

And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.

The lesson in these short verses is a difficult one to absorb. The first part is easy: if we ask properly, God hears us. So far, so good. We ask, therefore we know He hears. But the second part is the hard part: if we know that God hears us, then we know that “we have obtained the requests.”

What? Just like that? We know He hears, so we know we obtain our requests? I think not, my friend! How many times have you asked, implored, importuned, begged our God to grant a request – only to feel that you did NOT get what you asked for? That your request was ignored? That your God was far away and not listening? I know I’ve felt that way many times.

The key, however, is in the first part of the lesson. We must ask “according to His will.” That is, we must ask properly, with the appropriate frame of mind.

For me, of course, my fervent prayer to God was to have a child. I prayed long and I prayed hard and month after month after month (indeed, year after year) I didn’t get pregnant. I felt most decidedly incomplete and un-womanly, as I was apparently unable to do what millions of other women could do. I despaired and I was depressed and I was frustrated and I was angry at God.

But as time went on, something changed. As I thought and prayed about the matter, I came to realize that what was most important about having a child was the ‘having’ - that is, the keeping, the raising, the nurturing. The ten months a child would spend inside me was insignificant compared to the years and years outside me. When my focus moved from praying for myself and for my needs to praying for a child and its needs, then God answered my prayers.

And, as is so often the case, not in exactly the way I asked. God sent a beautiful, wonderful child for my husband and me to adopt – our son Sam. He is truly the answer to my prayers and God knew what was best for me.

PRAYER: Dear God, I pray that I may know how to pray. Grant me clarity of mind and keep me attuned to your teachings, so that I may ask according to your will. Amen