Archive for February 22nd, 2012

Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

What should you and I do when we have needs?  Easy answer:  PRAY! That is what Jesus is communicating to his followers in Matthew 7:7.  It could be that Jesus and his disciples are at a place of need as Jesus speaks. Hunger.  Thirst.  Shelter.  Energy. Perseverance.  Protection.  Whatever need they had, Jesus’ instruction was clear: PRAY!

Why did Jesus have to share this with his followers, because it seems like commonsense to pray when we have needs.  Jesus shares this command in 3 ways (ask, seek, knock) for a very simple reason…because we DON’T pray when we’re in need.  All too often we do something much different than pray when in need.

So why don’t we pray?  We know we need to, or that we’re supposed to as followers of Christ.  I want to suggest the #1 prayer barrier is because we aren’t impressed with God.  We don’t pray because we’ve lost the luster of God.  We don’t consider and aren’t amazed at the grandeur of God.  We don’t sit and take the time and invest ourselves in prayer because we’re not consumed with our Creator.  Something has gone wrong and we’ve become impressed with other things, far and above God.  We text, we buy, we watch TV, we “do” other things, other than pray.  Why?  Because we’re far more impressed with other things far and above the creator of the universe, and the savior of our souls.  (I put myself in this category as well.)

Our enemy feeds us the deceiving lie that nothing will happen when we pray.  Our time can be better spent “doing” something about our need, rather than “praying” about our need.  Jesus promises 7 times in Matthew 7:7-11 that God will answer us with good things as we pray and ask, seek and knock.  But our enemy says, don’t bother.  Do something yourself.  Solve the need yourself.  Open the doors yourself.  Use your networks and connections you have personally to do something about your needs.  Don’t pray.  Do “do.”

When we are gripped with the greatness of God we delight in praying and talking to God – we don’t pray begrudgingly out of duty to God because we’re “supposed” to.  We delight in spending time with God.  Let me say it this way.  Inasmuch as we are impressed with God, we pray to God.  If little, then we pray little. If much, then we pray much.

So…what is your temperature today in measuring your being gripped by the greatness of God?

Here’s a practical help to get “re-gripped” by the greatness of God.  Consider and marinate daily on the gospel.  The good news that even though we rejected and rebelled against God, he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue the rejectors and rebellious ones.  The rejected God is also the rescuing the rejectors God.  Awesome.

Dig Deeper.

PC