Have You Been Asking? (1/20/19 Prayer – Matthew 7:7-12)

ATTN: Every Wednesday evening, I take Serrie, my 10 year old daughter, to AWANA (a Wednesday evening Christian program for children) at a large church in Puyallup. I pick her back up at 8 pm and when I do, almost invariably she asks, “Daddy, can we get ice cream?” We would stop by nearby Costco or McDonald’s to get ice cream. However, there were a few times when she didn’t ask, and when she doesn’t ask, we go straight home. She also asked for a big bear for christmas and she got it. And she asked to go to Ocean Shores for our next mini-trip and so I booked it. Now the Bible calls me an “evil” father. Yet, being evil, when my daughters ask me for something, I usually give them it. But when they don’t ask, they usually don’t get it.

I wonder how many of good things we don’t receive from our heavenly Father because we do not ask!

Today’s message is about prayer and more specifically about asking. Let me make 6 observations based on this famous text (Matthew 7:7-12) and then share with you my experience of prayer.

1. Jesus wants for us to ask.

He repeats essentially the same statement 3 times – ask, seek, and knock! But why does he want us to ask? I believe it’s because it will display our humble dependence on God. A proud person will not go to another to ask for a favor. But the humble will ask. This is starkly contrasted in the story that Jesus told of a Pharisee and a sinner. They were both praying at the temple. The pharisee prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” Notice that he’s not really praying. He’s declaring his accomplishments and how good he is! But the sinner prayed, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ Luke 18:10-12. He is asking – asking for forgiveness. He is the one who is humble. Jesus loves it when we humble ourselves, come to Him and ask.

 

2. God will not give us what we need automatically, unless we ask.

Those of us who are in reformed tradition – that means we believe God is sovereign and everything happens to according to His will – we might think, well, it’s okay if we don’t really pray because God’s will be done anyway. So, what will be done will be done. But if that were so, Jesus should not be telling us to pray.

Jesus doesn’t say, “You don’t have to ask. I will give you what you need when you need it.” Rather, He says to ask, seek, and knock. Consider this verse: Phil 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, [stay still and God will do everything for you?] No! Rather, “let your requests be made known to God.” We are to ask God for the things we need. “You do not have, because you do not ask.” James 4:2 So, let’s ask!

 

3. Prayer takes resilience. (Keep asking. Evil judge)

The words “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” are all in present tense and could be translated, “Keep asking,” “keep seeking,” “keep knocking.” Jesus tells the story of a persistent widow who came to an unjust judge day and night to get justice. And even though the judge didn’t care for her or the justice, because he didn’t want to be bothered, he granted what the woman wanted. And Jesus makes the point that if an unjust judge will do that for a persistent request, how much more a loving and just Judge in God? So, keep coming to God and keep asking God. How long? Until we hear a solid “yes,” or a “no.” We should keep praying. I prayed for my brother for 10 years before he came to faith.

 

4. God will always give us good things when we ask, but not necessarily the very thing we ask for.

At a first glance, it seems like Jesus is promising that if we ask, we will receive the very thing we ask for. However, if you look at the context, we will see that that’s not what he means. Jesus asks the hypothetical question, “if your son asked you for bread,will you give him a stone, or asks for a fish, and will you give him a snake?” The answer is obviously “no!” But the reason why Jesus is stating the obvious is because there must be times when we don’t get the thing we expect that makes us wonder whether God gave us the good thing. That’s why Jesus is reassuring us that God always gives us good things even though they may not be what we asked for.  

Now, isn’t it true that often we do not know what is good for us? So, we always ask what we think is good for us. After all, no one prays, “God, let me go bankrupt or rupture my achilles this week!” But it is God who ultimately knows whether it will truly be good for us or not, and give to us accordingly.  

Paul prayed 3 times that the thorn be removed. The theologians think it was some kind of physical ailment or deformity that Paul suffered. A seemingly good request. But each time, God answered, “no.” Now, why in the world would God say, “no,” to that request? Paul had been the greatest missionary the world has ever known, sharing Jesus with the known world back then in a single lifetime. Imagine how much more he could’ve done if his body was well? So, God, heal his body of his thorn! But God doesn’t. Why not? Thankfully, Paul explains to us as to why God said, “no.” ”So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,a a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 2 cor 12:7. God in reality was protecting Paul and his ministry. If God didn’t inflict him with a thorn and Paul had gotten proud, then his whole ministry could’ve been thwarted and brought down the church which was still in its inception with him.

A Quick lesson. If you are not getting something you want and God keeps saying “no” to your request, it might be that God is really protecting and preserving you. Your sickness might be to keep you from sin. Your being laid off might be to redirect you to something else. Your not getting into that school or that company might be to protect your family from becoming proud and lose your testimony.

 

5. 5. God is so good that even the best earthly fathers are evil compared to Him.

In case we would doubt God’s goodness because we don’t always get the very thing we ask for, Jesus adds this line, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (v. 11)

He calls his disciples evil and in turn calls all of us evil! Now, I’d like to think of myself as a pretty good father to my children. I’ve been there for them for most important events if not all of their events of their lives. I am home every night by 6 pm for the family. I’ve spent lavishly on them at times. I have never yelled or screamed at them. I’m an above average father.

But Jesus would not hesitate to call me an evil father. Why? Because He’s comparing me to His heavenly father who is perfect. And so, being evil, I know how to give good gifts to my children – you should’ve seen how many gifts they got just this year alone for Christmas! – how much more a perfectly good father will give to us? So, come and ask. We have a great Father!

6. Be specific in what we ask

It won’t do to say, “God, I trust you. You give me what’s best at all times, ok?” Jesus says, “which father if his son asks for bread… or asks for a fish…” These are specific everyday needs. He expects us to ask for these everyday needs! Not just spiritual things like peace, love, zeal, wisdom, salvation which are vital, but also everyday things we need. Like our bills to be paid, job, school, sickness, toothache to go away…

My experience of prayers: At every major turning point of my life, I’ve turned to God through the word and prayer, seeking His guidance and here’s how God answered.

1. First major decision I had to make was what to do as I was finishing up my seminary degree in VA. Up to that point, I considered VA my home, that’s where my family was, and all my friends, as well as the youths that I dearly loved. A church in Tacoma, WA called me wanting to interview me for the youth pastor position. I didn’t really want to come to WA. I’ve never been to the West Coast before and I didn’t know anyone here. But I thought it would give me a good experience to go through the interview process and it was during the interview process that I began to sense that perhaps God wanted me to move. I was scared because everything I knew was in VA. but I decided to leave it to God as to where He would have me serve. So, I decided to fast and pray for one day, and I asked the Lord to reveal to me as to whether I should come to WA. I opened up the scripture to the place that I was to read that day as I was continually reading through the Bible…. The passage I came to that day was Joshua 1:9. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” It was clear to me that I should go. If God will go with me, then I need to be afraid of nothing. I cried for days when I first came to WA because I felt like I was leaving behind my own children in the youth I loved, and my parents as well. But I never doubted that God wanted me to be here in WA because of His timely word. Well, about a year after that, my parents sold their house in VA and moved out here to WA to live with me. And another couple years later, my brother joined me here as well. God allowed to stay at that church for 11 years until the next assignment…
2. Another major decision that was even more important than moving here was my marriage. I had been dating janet for 2 years and I knew the time had come to decide whether we should break up or get married. I want to confess to you that I was like many other young adults who wanted to delay getting married as long as possible to enjoy my freedom, but I knew I couldn’t delay any longer. So, I decided to fast and pray. This time for 3 days because, I don’t know if you thought of it this way, but deciding who to marry is the 2nd biggest decision you will ever make in your life. The 1st biggest being of course your decision to follow Christ….

I went on a personal retreat, took only my bible and a book. It was actually on the first day of fasting that I read the following passage because again, it was its turn to be read in my daily bible reading. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…” (Eph 5:22)

Wait, that’s way too direct and way too fast I thought. It was on the first day of my fasting. I thought God was going to reveal it to me as I did battle with Him for three days. So, I fasted two more days anyway to see if He will say something else. He didn’t. The rest is history as they say. I proposed to Janet soon after that. Who am I to go against God when He says on the first day of 3 day fast, “love your wife, you idiot” You should’ve done this earlier!”

3. The third major decision was to plant this church 8 years ago. I was in a pretty good place. I was a youth pastor at a large church, very comfortable, respected, double-income with Janet working too, etc. but I sensed that perhaps God wanted us to start a church. So, you guessed it. I prayed and fasted. I remember I was at Border’s bookstore and a thought came to my mind: “As you are thinking about starting a church or staying in your post, have you ever asked what would be good for the kingdom of God? So far, all you’ve been considering, pros and cons that you’ve weighing have to do with whether it would be good for your future or not. But didn’t I say, “seek first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness rather than your own kingdom?”

That changed the direction of my thinking. Now I began to ask a different question – Not whether planting a church would be good for me and my future, but rather whether it would good for God’s kingdom and his reputation. It became clear what God wanted me to do once I changed the question. But I was still scared and asked God, “well, if it’s really your will, then send a family along with us….” That’s when the Gentry’s wanted to have dinner with us and said if we are thinking of planting a church, they want to go with…

God listens to our prayers. I am in no way special or more godly than you. Believe me when I say I am not. If God listens to a sinner like me, God will listen to you. It’s not because we are righteous that He listens to us. It’s because He is righteous and covers us with his righteous robe and we are made His children that He listens to us.