DON'T be Careful What You Ask For!

S - Luke 11:9-13 (TLJ): "So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you. Yes, whoever continues to ask will receive.  Whoever continues to look will find. And whoever continues to knock will have the door opened for them. Do any of you have a son? What would your do if your son asked you for a fish? Would any father give him a snake? Or, if he asked for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? Of course not! Even you who are bad know how to give good things to your children. So surely your heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask him."

O - Jesus instruction on prayer is very straight forward.  In it he identifies our assignment and his Father's attitude and response toward us and our requests. The context of prayer is not a formalized appeal before a court but a desire voiced to one's Father.  The Father is neither whimsical nor capricious in his response and we are not to be easily discouraged or flighty in our asking. Not only does the Father "know how to give" he wants to give good things to his children (cf. Matthew 7:7-11) and he wants to give the Holy Spirit.  According to Jesus (and he really is the expert), DON'T be careful what you ask for! 

A - Little children are fairly incessant askers.  They are willing to voice both what they need and want in a constant and trusting way.  They do not worry about resources, timing, track-records or degree of difficulty.  They simply ask.  Jesus is asking me to ask; consistently, confidently and even recklessly.  Why? Because not only can God do anything and not only is he willing to give but he loves us deeply, relentlessly and completely.  Today, I can ask anything … and today I will be asking, seeking, knocking because I am loved by God and nothing is too difficult, impossible or too wonderful for him.  I will ask fearlessly because of love.

P - Father of Jesus and Father of me,

Thank you for this day and for your desire to be my/our Father in all aspects of life on earth.  Thank you for loving us, for wanting to demonstrate your love and for giving because you love.  I am seeking, knocking and asking according to your awesome brilliance, limitless power and extreme goodness … and I am welcoming your will on earth like they do in heaven.  Lord, from the dog at my feet to the far flung places you have sent me I am asking for your greatness and goodness to be seen in the land of the living.  I am asking for the Holy Spirit to be upon us and all who are with us, for the resurrection life of Jesus to be flowing into us and out of us.  I am asking for new wineskins, mulberry trees in the ocean and for that which is too wonderful for me.  I am asking recklessly in Jesus' name.

All my love,

Steve