Do you remember being younger, when it seemed like you ALWAYS had something in mind you wanted from your parents?
This was especially true around Christmas when, after being bombarded by all the toy commercials on TV and catalogs mailed to your house, you knew exactly what it was you wanted. You woke up in the morning thinking about it. You fell asleep at night dreaming about it. Maybe you even made a place for it in your bedroom in anticipation of it’s arrival.
The mere idea of you getting hold of it brought sheer pleasure to your life.
In John 15:7, Jesus tells us that; “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”
Now this could be a dangerous promise to unveil to a 5 year old without giving some Biblical explanation along with it. Can you imagine scores of little boys and girls, standing on this promise every time they asked God for the latest ‘My Little Pony’ or shiny new set of toy cars? A lot of parents would be backed into some pretty big corners!
I think there’s an important truth that’s anchored in this promise though, and it deals with the motivations behind what we’re asking for. That’s because we’re not always good at asking for the right things. We’re not always clearheaded to see God’s best for us. It’s difficult for us to see that, because it gets buried underneath what we want. Sometimes, we can even see it loud and clear – but our own desires push it right out of the picture.
Psalm 106:15 says, ‘He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.’
In other words, they got what they wanted, but there was a process of deprivation in their souls. They became weak, emaciated and malnourished spiritually. Because they shook their hands and stomped their feet at God, they finally got what ‘they’ wanted. But it came at a cost of this leanness. Their souls paid a heavy price.
It makes me think about what I’m praying for. Am I asking as I see fit or as God sees fit? Children always ask as they see fit and don’t see or understand the big picture like mom and dad do. Sometimes, we end up playing the same games with God.
There’s nothing wrong with asking God for things. The Bible teaches we should make our requests known to Him. It tells us to approach His throne of grace with confidence so we can receive in our time of need. I believe we need to push ourselves to seek God for big things. Big change. Big destiny. Big healing. Big salvations.
But, I also believe we need to pray as Jesus taught us… ‘THY will be done, here on earth, as it is in Heaven.’ We need discernment to know His will as we pray. We need to filter out the cries of our flesh. And, we need to be careful what we ask for – because we may actually get it.
JJ
