The Prayer of a Child
Matthew 7: 7-11~ “Ask and it will be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, who if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask?”
Introduction: Medical research has established that those with the best chance of recovering from a major illness are those who have kept their heart strong through exercise.
Jude 1: 20 ~ “But you, brethren, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”
Far too often the only praying that Christians practice is praying during tragedy.
I Kings 3: 5 ~ “In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give thee.”’
Jeremiah 33: 3 ~ “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
Matthew 21: 22 ~ “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
The Personality of the Father
Genesis 6: 5 ~ “Then the LORD saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his was only evil continually.”
Ephesians 4: 22 ~ “… put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.”
Definition: Evil - 1 a: the fact of suffering, misfortune, and wrongdoing b: a cosmic evil force 2: something that brings sorrow, distress, or calamity
Our character is fractured due to our fallen nature. Because of this we are a race of takers.
We should not mistake wholeness for perfection. If you think about wholeness means “giving more than you take.”
Acts 20: 35 ~ “I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Most of the time we are not praying, we are trying to manipulate God.
The Nature of the Father
Romans 5: 8, 32 ~ “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”
Romans 8:32 ~ “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
John 16: 24 ~ “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
Jesus was telling His disciples that up until that point that they did not know what real joy was. So, He was telling them to ask and they would receive what they asked for and more, they would also receive full joy. I received a devotion the other day that said, “Happiness comes from happenings, but true joy comes only from knowing Christ.”
James 1: 5 ~ “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
This means God is not going to scold you just because you ask. As long you’re not asking for something that is completely out of the will of God, God will grant your request.
The Wisdom of the Father
The word good can mean benefit.
Psalm 68: 19 ~ “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
James 1: 17 ~ “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
This means every desirable gift comes from God. There is a light that comes down straight from the Father’s throne. God does not deceive anyone, He is not two-faced, and He is not fickle (He doesn’t tell you He’ll do something, then say, “I’ve changed my mind, I’m not going to do what I said.”
I John 5: 14-15 ~ “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”
Application: Philippians 4: 6 ~ “Be careful for nothing; but by every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God.”
Don’t worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and worship shape your anxiety into prayers, letting God be aware of your apprehension.
I realize sometimes this is easier said than done, but we must learn to put our faith in God completely!
