Keep Asking
I stand firmly against the prosperity gospel.
Discipleship is hard and it will cost you something.
Worship, at its core, is surrender. It is sacrifice. It is self denial.
So to be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan of the recent surge in songs that focus on miracles and all the many ways that God can "make our lives better."
I'm not saying God can't and doesn't do miracles, but miracles, by definition, are the exception, not the rule. And as someone who has personally seen God do powerful work in my life through trials and suffering, I identify much more with Paul who, after pleading with God to take away the "thorn in his flesh", heard the Lord say to him,
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9
And because of this, Paul chooses to boast all the more gladly about his weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on him.
On the other hand, over and over we're also given instruction in the Bible to boldly ask God for what we want.
Give us today our daily bread
Matthew 6:11
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
John 14:14
...we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask...
1 John 3:21-22
You do not have because you do not ask God.
James 4:2
"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Mathew 17:20
And in one of my favorite passages, Luke 11, Jesus gives an illustration of prayer about a man who shows up at his friend's house in the middle of the night, banging on his door asking for a favor. And even though the sleeping friend is annoyed and has no real desire to get out of bed and meet the demands of his friend at the door, because of his friend's "shameless audacity" gets up and gives him what he wants.
Then Jesus gives us full permission to do this to God! Go ahead, bang on God's door at all hours of the night with shameless audacity!
Right after this illustration Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
As many of us may know, the words for "ask / seek / knock" more accurately carry the meaning "keep asking / keep seeking / keep knocking." (This same sentiment is used in the story of the persistent widow when Jesus is trying to teach His disciples "they should always pray and not give up" Lk. 18:1)
So what's up? Should we concede to defeat and be content with the "thorns in our flesh" and stop asking God? Or what's the point of continually asking God for something that we suspect in all likelihood He's not going to take away?
To make a long story short, let's jump to Jesus' final point in the prayer illustration in Luke 11:13—
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Jesus wants to answer your prayers. But Jesus really wants to give you what you NEED, not always what you WANT. And no matter what we're asking for, what we all really need is the Holy Spirit.
Not gonna lie, this kinda feels like a little switcheroo.
"God, heal my daughter..." -Desperate Mom
"Here's the Holy Spirit." -God
"God, give me this job..." -Hungry Provider
"Here's the Holy Spirit." -God
"God, take away this evil desire..." -Struggling Teenager
"Here's the Holy Spirit." -God
But far be it from God to be a slimy salesman. The truth is, the Holy Spirit is the best gift and the better gift to all of our longings. His indwelling presence, the Advocate, the Helper, the Counselor, walking beside us and living inside of us...truly no greater gift could be given.
And here's the kicker—the very process of continually coming to God in prayer, always asking, always seeking, always knocking, is the activity of constantly bringing ourselves before the Lord, which, in turn, keeps us tethered to the Vine and refreshes the power and presence of the Spirit inside us.
No matter what we came in asking for, the longer we're with the Father, the more we find the Holy Spirit is all we've ever needed.
So, yes, keep asking, seeking and knocking. Never give up in prayer. Be shameless and audacious and bold and honest. Maybe God will heal you, maybe he'll use the thorn for His magnification. Either way, He'll be in you, with you, beside you, and for you. And that will be enough.