20 Days With the Lord’s Prayer Day 8: He wants us to ask Him for what we need.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As we started out considering the Lord‘s Prayer, we made note of the fact that in the scripture immediately proceeding the Lord‘s Prayer, Jesus, having referenced the repetitive prayers of the heathen, tells His disciples this:

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Jesus was certainly not saying that we should not ask. Rather, He wants us to know that the Lord hears us. Indeed, He already knew what we needed before we asked. Therefore, we can ask with confidence that He hears and will answer.

Jesus instructed as to what our attitude should be when asking from our Father, as well as what we need to bear in mind when asking of Him.

““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Again, we must ask in expectancy and confidence, knowing that we have a good Father Who WANTS to give us GOOD things.

Now, we must also know that the Lord answers according to His will for us.

“You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yes, we must ask to receive. However the Lord is not to be treated as a “pleasure dispenser.” If we are always asking Him for “candy,” we can’t expect that He—as a good Father—will be giving us things He knows will not be for our good.

Given, sometimes we may not know what God‘s will is in a particular situation. We may struggle with what to ask according to His will, or in line with His purposes for us. But thank God—through Jesus Christ—we now have access to His Holy Spirit Who prays within us with words we often may not even understand. Even so, we can be sure that that prayer is in line with God‘s will. And as such, we can expect that the Lord will answer.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

For today’s examination of the Lord’s Prayer we pause at just those two words: “Give us . . . .”

Child of God, the Lord wants us to ask, and when we learn to ask according to His will and purpose, we can be sure that what we ask, we will receive.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!