Tag Archives: ask

Be Real With God

Christian Life, , , ,

BE REAL WITH GOD

Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him as stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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? (Matt. 7: 7-11)

This could well be a part of Jesus’s teaching on prayer but for one thing – the context. If we ignore the following parable, we might think that He advocating persistence in prayer, which is a reality about prayer in other contexts, but not in this one.

So what is He talking about?

His story seems to indicate that God values a transparent two-way communication in our dealings with Him. When a child asks straight out for what he wants, a father will not be devious and give him what he has not requested. If earthly, fallible human fathers treat their children well, how much more will a perfect heavenly Father give the best to His children?

The issue is: If God is open and honest with us, how open and honest are we with Him? We fool ourselves if we think that we can fool Him by our words while at the same time try to conceal what’s in our hearts. Be real with God. Jesus taught Bartimaeus, the blind man, this lesson when He asked him,

What do you want me to do for you? (Mark 10: 51)

Jesus was not stupid. He knew what Bartimaeus’ problem was, but He wanted him to verbalise it. Why? Because it was important for the blind man to admit his need. Jesus drew him out to ask for what he wanted. He wanted him to play open cards with Him so that He could respond to him according to his heart need.

This lesson is not only applicable to our interaction with the Father. It is equally important that we be transparent with people as well. This does not give us a licence, however, to be brutal in our honesty. There is a way to be open with people that invites trust, not offence. Jesus put it this way:

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matt. 7: 12)

Let’s take this a little further. What about the way Jesus spoke to and about the Pharisees? Was He not being brutal in His transparency? Was He contradicting His own principles? Did He expose the wicked hearts of the Pharisees in the spirit of Torah?

In order to uncover His purpose, we must check His motive. What was His intention when He spoke to them as harshly as He did? There may be several reasons but let’s look at a few.

  1. They were the spiritual leaders of the people. They were the educated ones who were responsible for interpreting, modelling and teaching the Had Jesus remained silent, He would have given them permission to continue being hypocrites, teaching one thing but contradicting what they taught by their behaviour. By publicly exposing their hearts, He warned them about what they were doing and, at the same time, the people who admired them for the wrong reasons. They did not follow the teaching of Torah which they expected their followers to do.

 

  1. The Pharisees thought they were the watchdogs and critics of the people. They did what Jesus warned His disciples not to do. They judged others by their own standards and heaped guilt and condemnation on those who failed. That was not to be their role. They were to lead by example, not alienate by condemnation. Jesus alerted the people and warned the Pharisees that they were themselves under condemnation for what they were doing. This was their opportunity to repent.

 

  1. Jesus offended their minds to expose their hearts. Their reactions to Him revealed what was in their hearts. They were not interested in walking in the way of Yahweh. They enjoyed the praise they received from people while living their wicked lives in secret. Jesus told them the truth so that they would have an opportunity to repent, and so that they would have no excuse for what they did when they came into judgment.

John the Baptist was equally brutal in the way he spoke to the religious leaders. He called them “a brood of vipers” – not a very flattering title or a way to “win friends and influence people”! Luke concluded his report with these words:

And with many other words, John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them. (Luke 3: 18)

Good news, John? In this case, the context makes it clear that John’s harsh words were part of the good news he was telling them. If his hearers knew what was in their own hearts, perhaps they would realise that what John taught about Messiah was true – that He had come to take away the sin of the world and to give them the Holy Spirit who would separate out the wheat from the chaff in their lives.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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The Father’s Face

Bible Study, , ,

THE FATHER’S FACE 

“‘Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father Himself loves you because you have loved me and believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.'” John 16:25-28 NIV.

Slowly, gradually, little by little, Jesus was acclimatising His disciples to the truth that, just as He had an intimate relationship with the Father, so they were moving towards the same close fellowship with God as His beloved sons. This was a foreign idea to them because they were nurtured in the misguided religious notion of a strict God who gave them rules to keep and who came down hard on them when they stepped out of line.

Jesus was passing on the legacy of sonship to them; exactly the same status and relationship that He had with the Father was theirs because they loved and believed in Him and acknowledged that He had been sent from and by the Father. His primary mission was to show them the heart of the Father so that they could enjoy the same bond with the Father as He had.

This is a truth that many so-called believers have not grasped. The world is an orphanage and not even the church, to a large extent, has realised and embraced the truth that we are God’s beloved sons and daughters. We are not only a fatherless world and an orphan generation but also a fatherless church which, like the elder brother of the lost son, is still trying to impress God by our performance rather than live in the freedom of the Father’s love in the Father’s house.

How difficult it is for us to grasp that we share the same status as Jesus in the sight of God! The same love that Father has for Jesus is His love for us because we have been placed in His family as Jesus’ brothers and sisters.

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:10, 11 NIV.

Who better to reveal the Father than the one who shares His nature and who existed with Him before He entered the world? Although it was difficult for the disciples to grasp, in the beginning, what Jesus had told them, over and over, about Himself — who He was and where He came from — eventually, after being with Him for three and a half years, listening to Him and watching Him in action, they began to realise that He was no ordinary human being but the one He said He was, the Son of God who came from the Father.

The enemy has launched a relentless campaign against fathers and children; free sex has led to single mothers trying to raise children without fathers; child abuse has alienated fathers and children and bred suspicion in the hearts of children towards men in general and fathers in particular. Divorce has ripped families apart, breaking hearts, driving fathers from their children, leaving them abandoned, defenceless and without security and identity — angry children venting their anger on the world.

The ministry of the second Elijah, John the Baptist, was to reconcile fathers and children, or else the world would be destroyed; and the world is now living out the destruction cause by its orphan status.

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:5, 6 NIV.

The only true Father who can bring us back to sanity in His love is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who was sent to reconcile the world to Himself and rescue us from our insecurity and abandonment so that He can take us back to the Father.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it does not know Him.” 1 John 3:1 NIV.

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself testifies that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:15, 16 NIV.

No Atheists In Foxholes

Bible Study, , ,

NO ATHEISTS IN FOXHOLES 

“‘In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.'” John 16:23, 24 NIV.

People pray. God created human beings to be dependent on Him. Even those who repudiate Him and substitute gods of their own creation, pray. There is an inborn need to connect with someone greater than ourselves whether it be our own possessions or achievements, or some figment of our imagination we call “god”, we pray.

Whether the saying “No atheists in foxholes” most often attributed to war correspondent Ernie Pyle during WW1, (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_are_no_atheists_in_foxholes) is true or not, even those who claim to be atheists use the title of a being they say does not exist, in a crisis!

But that is not true biblical prayer. Prayer is not prayer unless it happens in the context of a Father/son relationship with God, fostered by intimacy and worship. Many people treat God as some sort of celestial 911 emergency service. He’s always around, but they do not need Him until a crisis arises.

Jesus was speaking to His disciples about a love relationship with the Father based on the reconciliation He would make possible by His sacrifice. We are sons, yes, but in the far country of rebellion and unbelief, living in the “pigsty” of worldly ways. Before we can treat God as our Father, we need to return home and be reconciled to Him in order to be restored as sons. We owe Him an unpayable debt which Jesus, our elder brother, paid on our behalf so that we can return and be restored to the family.

“In my name” is much more than a magic formula to tack on to the end of a prayer to ensure that we get the answers we want. In Biblical thought, a name is a prophetic utterance of character. Everything God is, is enshrined in His name and He has invested all of Himself in the name of Jesus.

“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” Philippians 2:9, 10a NIV.

Therefore to ask in the name of Jesus is much more than a quick addition at the end of a prayer. It is a thoughtful evaluation of what I am asking against the character, will and mission of Jesus so that my request is in harmony with who He is and what His will and purpose is for my life and my circumstances in the bigger picture of His kingdom. Perhaps, if we were to view our prayers from His perspective rather than demanding what we want, there would be fewer disappointments and a greater understanding and participation in the affairs of His kingdom on earth.

The criterion for the joy that flows from answered prayer is found in His prescription in John 15. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:7-8 NIV.

Jesus taught His disciples that prayer is much more than praying the “no-atheist-in-foxholes” kind of prayer. God, in His mercy, might answer that kind of prayer but He is not obliged to because prayer, first and foremost, is the expression of a love relationship between Father and sons. Those who are outside of Christ cannot experience true prayer. The best they can do is try to gain the attention of, or manipulate a non-existent god, leaving them empty and frustrated.

The joy that follows answered prayer is the joy that flows from relationship; from a loving Father who delights to share His provision and resources with His beloved sons and daughters as they partner with Him in the business of His kingdom.

Can We Ask Too Much?

Prayer, , , ,

CAN WE ASK TOO MUCH?

“If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t think of such a thing – you’re at least decent to your own children. And don’t you think that the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask Him.” Luke11:11-13, (The Message).

Again Jesus uses an exaggerated contrast to teach us the scope of God’s generosity to His children. Fathers give their children the simple things they ask for because it is within the scope of what they are able to do. They are generous to their children as good fathers because they are able to meet that need, and they do it because they love their children.

But what about our heavenly Father? How does He respond to the children to whom He gave spiritual birth through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus? According to Romans 8:32, “If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing Himself to the worst by sending His own Son, is there anything He wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?” (The Message).

In this teaching on prayer in response to the disciples’ request, Jesus pins my attention on three questions:

1. Who and what is the focus of my prayer?

2. What is my attitude to Him?

3. What do I expect of Him?

If I can answer these three questions from His perspective, I have grasped the real meaning of prayer and can expect to nurture my fellowship with the Father as Jesus did.

In His model prayer, Jesus teaches me that prayer is primarily about who and what I must become aware of. Prayer is not prayer if it is all about me and my concerns. Prayer is the simple act of turning my head to face the One who can bear the burden. Why can I have confidence in Him to handle whatever my issues are? He is my Father, my life-source who is as near to me as my breath. He brought me to physical and spiritual birth and He has accepts full responsibility for me as His child.

Although He is unseen, He is real, more real than the world around me. He knows me more intimately than I know myself. I can hide nothing from Him; therefore I can best nurture my relationship with Him by being transparent and direct. As a tiny child comes to its father in dependence and trust, so I come to my Father with an open heart.

Although little children sometimes think that daddy can give them the world, they ask in innocence and ignorance, but there is nothing my Heavenly Father cannot supply according to my need. I have no need greater than the Holy Spirit and He has promised to give Him to me if I ask Him. He has already given me His Spirit and, because He leads me, I know that I am His son or daughter.

And so my understanding of prayer comes full circle back to the fundamental issue of sonship. Prayer is only prayer in the environment of God and me as Father and ‘son’. Prayer is not prayer unless it is the intimate interaction between Father and son.