Ask!

I have been reading the Gospel of Matthew and this morning I came across a passage of scripture that gave me some food for thought. In Matthew 20:29 - 34 the scriptures say:

29 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30 And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” 31 Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” 32 So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” 34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

It is safe to assume, by what we know of Jesus, that he most likely already knew what these men need/wanted. We really don’t have to assume since in Matthew 6:7 Jesus said “…for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” He knew that they were blind and yet he said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” If Jesus already knew what they needed, why would he ask them?

Although God already knows what we need and want before we ask, we are still commanded to ask. Just saying, “Oh God knows my needs” or “God already knows my situations, so I will just leave it in His hands” is not enough. We are commanded to ask! Why? Because asking opens up the dialogue between you and God. You have to talk to God. Jesus reinforced the word “ask” many times.

Matthew 7:11: “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Matthew 18:19: "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”

Luke 11:13: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Even Jesus asks the Father!

John 14:16: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—“

Jesus commands us to ask and that He will not ask on our behalf, we should ask.

John 16:26: “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf”

Ask! Ask! Ask! Ask! Asking with faith bears many fruit! Ask in faith. Utter the words to your Father in faith and realize that as you ask specifically (don’t just say, Oh Lords please solve all my problems) God will hear you and answer your prayers. Remember, God already knows your heart, so beware of what you ask for and the motives behind it. Through it all, ask and open up that line of communication with the Lord. Talk to him, he wants to hear from you. If God always read our minds and fixed our problems, when would we talk to Him? When you ask a question, there is a response, correct? So if you don’t ask a question, there will be no response.

Lord, I pray that we would be so bold to ask you for what is on our hearts. Whether it is for you to reveal something to us, a desire of our heart or for understanding. Please let us remember to open up that line of communication with you and to always ask in the name of Jesus. Amen!