ASK WILL YA?

By Rick Mathes

John 16:23-24 (NASB77) ²³ “And in that day you will ask Me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. ²⁴ ” Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.

There’s a song that has a line, “Oh Lord, Dear Lord, won’t you give me Mercedes Benz?” I’ve sang it a few times and it doesn’t work. Oh how often I have prayed for something or someone and my prayer wasn’t answered. I know, I know, He said, “Yes, no or not yet.” That doesn’t help. I have even felt it was futile to talk to an invisible God in the empty air, no answer. Do I hear an Amen?

Well, the first thing you and I need to learn is to pray in His name. When you use His name, you can only pray for those things He would be blessed by because you arfe coming to God on the coattails of Jesus. When you do this you are praying according to His name and you are praying in faith.

Faith and trust are the keys to heaven while doubt and fear will drop you into the abyss of liquid flames of unlimited intensity and duration. Point a flame-thrower down your throat for a sample.

So what’s holding the Lord back from answering your prayer? Let me enumerate just a few that I’m sure we both are familiar with.

1. Insincerity: Praying to win a lottery ticket and having the chance to have your prayer answered is the same as winning it. Flippant prayers that are half-hearted and beneath His dignity will go unanswered.
2. Selfishness: True prayers before the Lord are always selfless. Try praying for 15 minutes without asking Him for anything and see how hard that can be.
3. Impatience: We live in an instant-presto, just add hot water society and move too fast to often. Blessings that last often take time to seed, plant, water, grow, and then harvest. What’s the hurry? We, as elect, have forever!
4. Unbelief: This is the real show stopper. It’s the only sin God will not forgive and it’s at the top of Satan’s lust to entice you to sin. How can you run your hands through a cesspool of vile sin and then lift them to God and have the audacity to expect He will answer you.

Believe and obey for there is no other way.