Learning To Pray-Ask Day-Three Devotional Series

Remember, prayer is a relationship with God, and part of that relationship is prayer-asking. Why does God want us to ask Him for anything? Isn’t God all-knowing? Can our prayer-asking make any difference?

Didn’t Jesus say, “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matt. 6:8, NKJV)? So, why are we prayer-asking for God to work in the coming election?

Because prayer is relationship with God; have you ever thought of the possibility that God wants to spend time with you?

Fourteen time Grammy Award winner Ricky Skaggs read my book, Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough and sent word he wanted to spend the day with me just to learn about fasting and prayer. So we spent a Wednesday in September 2007 together.

Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mt. Everest, also read the same book and sent word that he wanted to chat with me about fasting. I was making plans to travel to New Zealand to have “tea” with Sir Hillary and talk about fasting, but he died before I could meet with him.

If a famous person wanted to talk to you about prayer, you would probably arrange your calendar to make it happen. But God is greater than any famous person. So now, arrange your calendar for 10 days to fast and pray for the coming election. Your Daniel Fast could produce the greatest results in history; you are going to talk with the Lord of the universe about what will happen in the United States.

Asking is an elementary form of dependence upon God. When you ask your mother-in-law for advice, doesn’t that show that you trust her and you want her opinion? Now you have honored God by prayer-asking for answers for the coming election.

Asking puts you in partnership with God. If you ask someone to help you on a project, doesn’t that mean the two of you will work together? As you work together you get closer and perhaps you become friends. How close does it put you with God when you fast and pray-ask for His help in the coming election?

You should pray-ask because God wants to be asked. Remember, Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7, NKJV). Don’t parents enjoy their children asking them for something? Sure! Think about your Heavenly Father and how does it make God feel when you ask for something?

And what about your happiness? Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). To put Jesus’ statement into contemporary words, “You are going to be happy when I answer your prayers” (John 16:24, Amplified). So if you fast and pray for 10 days and God answers us with this election, you will be happy; and so will God.

So, prayer-asking leads to fellowship. When you pray-ask, your fellowship with your Heavenly Father is enriched. When we ask our human parents, we get as close to them as possible and obey them simply to get the things we want. So prayer-asking will deepen your relationship with God because you will get closer to Him and obey Him. And don’t both you and God agree that you want Him to be glorified in the coming election?

When Jesus said to pray-ask in His name, He was not suggesting some sort of mantra, or a secret code that opened up locked things. Jesus wasn’t even suggesting that we just add His name to the end of our prayers.

To pray-ask in Jesus’ name is to take full advantage of His death that took away our sins (John 1:29), because His blood cleansed us from every sin (see 1 John 1:7). So, praying in Jesus’ name takes advantage of our salvation accomplished on the cross.

Also, remember that Jesus is standing at the right hand of God the Father in heaven making intercession for us (Heb. 7:24-25). So when we pray-ask in Jesus’ name, we are asking Jesus to be our intercessor to the Heavenly Father. One last thing about praying in Jesus’ name! When you were converted, you asked Jesus to come into your life (John 1:12), so pray-ask in Jesus’ name because He lives in your heart – by Elmer Towns©

-My Time to Pray-

• Lord, I will draw near to You and try to please You so I will be in a position to pray-ask for the coming election.

• Lord, be merciful to our nation.

• Lord, I ask for a miracle in the coming election because I believe You still do miracles.

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart: