Daily Bread_December 18, 2014

Title: When Did You Stop Asking?

Text:

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

Observation:

I read an article recently that captured my attention; it is the title I selected for my meditation today. I noticed that the text I am using today is one that I have been using as my email signature for most of the year. I didn't have to look far for a text.

Why don't we ask more of God? He invites us to ask Him for what we need.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)
⁷ "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

O, how richer we are when we ask the Lord to meet our needs, and how poorer we are when we fail to ask the Lord to help us. The hymn writer said is like this.

"O what peace we often forfeit,
  O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
  Everything to God in prayer!"

Are you ready for a change in your life? Why not starve the cravings of your flesh, and ask the Lord to meet your needs?

I keyed in the wrong scripture when looking for the passage I cited above from Matthew. However, this is what I got.  Our God delights in taking the wrong turns in our life and turning them into something beautiful.

Matthew 5:7-8 (NLT)
⁷ God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸ God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.

This principle of asking works with our children; they are born asking questions. That was the focus of the article that planted the seed for today's topic. Our kids ask some great questions. When did you stop asking?

1 John 5:14-15 (HCSB)
¹⁴ Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.

It's prayer time; let's align our prayers with God's will,  and pray for one another.

Philippians 1:3-4 (HCSB)
³ I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, ⁴ always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer,

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that you would form in us a burning desire to be people who pray without ceasing. Father, I pray that we will never forget where our help comes from, and that we will keep on asking.

Father God, I pray that the tempter, and the cares of this world would not get us off track; that we will never cease to ask, seek, and knock at the door of our God. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

--

Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, "It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/