ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE

Proclamation

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seek finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke to His disciples and to the surrounding crowd during His Sermon on the Mount as recorded by the apostle Matthew.  Jesus told them that whatever they asked Him for would be given to them.  This is clarified in another Bible verse, “And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that The Father may be glorified in The Son.  You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it.  If you love Me, keep My commands.” (John 14:13-15)

Application:

Jesus said that we can have what we ask Him for.  He also said that we will find what we seek and opportunities will be opened up to us.  We do not have what we want because we have not asked The Lord God for it. (James 4:2)  If we pray for it and if we believe that He will give it to us, then we will receive it. (Matthew 21:22)  There are, however, some underlying conditions to this.  First, this only applies to believers.  If He is not your Father, do not expect that He will give you what you ask for.  If you do not believe in Him, don't waste your time asking Him for things.  Secondly, this only applies to things that will help us to give God Glory, not things to glorify or pacify or pleasure ourselves.  If we ask for something that is inappropriate it will not be granted. (James 4:3)  Thirdly, in order to get the "... any thing ..." we want from Him we must keep His commandments.  By keeping His commandments we show Him that we love Him. (John 14:21)  If we love Him and truly want to please and glorify Him then we will get what we ask Him for.

Ask For It And Receive It If...

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."  Mark 11:24-25 (NIV)

These are some of the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples regarding prayer.  Jesus said that if they asked for something, and believed that they would receive it, then it would be theirs. Then He told them not to hold anything in their heart against anyone so that they would not block their own blessing.

Today, Christians, we are the disciples of Jesus, The Christ.  Before we pray, we should make sure that we are not holding anything in our heart against anyone. When we pray, we should make sure that what we pray for will give God glory. For whatever we ask for that is in the will of God, we will receive it, so that God can be glorified. (John 15:7-8 and 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)  After we pray, we must believe that God hears and answers the prayers of His saints. (Proverbs 15:29 and 1 Peter 3:12)  We have not, because we ask not. (James 4:2)  Before, when, and after we pray, we must believe that God can, and will, grant our request.

Ask God For What You Want

"... You do not have, because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."  James 4:2-3 (NIV)

James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote to the scattered believers in Christ and told them that they have not because they ask not.  He also said that what they asked for, they did not receive it because they asked for things for the wrong reasons. 

We have not because we ask not.  We should ask God for what we want.  Jesus told His disciples that whatever they asked for in His name, they would receive.  (John 14:13, 14:14, 15:16, 16:23, & 16:24)  We are disciples of Christ, so that also applies to us today.  There are, however, times when we ask for things and do not receive them.  That is because we ask for things to increase our worldly pleasures.  Jesus said that He would do what we ask in His name so that He could give glory to God, The Father. (John 14:13)  If what we ask for is not designed to give God glory, we should not be surprised when we do not receive it.  God may choose to bless us with the desires of our heart, things which may not give Him glory, if we delight in Him, in His way, and in His Word.  (Psalms 1:2, 37:4, & 112:1)  So, ask God for what you want, you just may get it.

To God Be The Glory

"And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that The Son may bring glory to The Father.  You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it."  John 14:13-14 (NIV)

Jesus, The Christ, told His disciples that He would do whatever they asked in His name.  He said that they could ask Him for anything and He would do it.  However, the important phrase in what He said was that He would do it so that He could bring glory to God, The Father. 

Today a lot of people quote John 14:14, and they use that verse as a bases for asking God for the things that they want for their own benefit.   We often pray for things without regard for the glory of God.  A lot of our prayers are not answered because what we ask for is outside of the will of God and it would not give Him glory.  If we are doing God's will and we pray for things which will bring Him glory, then we will get what we asked for.  May we seek to give God glory in what we say, do, and pray for.