Ask Small Receive Small

Every Christian and most non-Christians know that we should pray, lets be more specific, that we should pray more. Why we don't is no mystery, we simply are very busy with our lives but we must stop to ask ourselves the question, what am I busy with? The answer is quite obvious, pursuing the things I want or need: this is how we spend our time. What if there was a shorter path where my conscience did not hurt, what if there was a more relaxing path, what if there was a way to receive all that I wanted and needed while being religious too, would you take that path?

In the back of our minds, in twinges of conscious, in sermons, on the mouths of our friends we hear that we should pray more. We eagerly agree and think to ourselves, yes we should; but then we go out and spend more time trying to make our way. Jesus says “ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7) how much more direct could He have stated that. Can you think of a way to say this any more clearly? The problem is not in His promise, not in understanding it, rather the problem is in our faith and obedience, we need to stop and pray.

However, the Bible does not only give us this advice on how to pray. We are told to adore God, to praise Him, to thank Him, to not be repetitive, to not be prideful, etc... The Bible is filled with wisdom on how to pray. If we go to God only asking, only begging, only ever being concerned with me getting and gaining we are going to find ourselves in a harder place.

In the book “The Faith Factor” Dale A. Matthews M.D. shares research that actually shows that those who only go to God requesting actually end up in a worse place emotionally. This makes much sense, all throughout the scripture greed is called evil, sinful, selfish, and greed has no place in our prayers. If we go to God in prayer only asking for stuff or fixes to bad situations or for opportunities, then we really aren't going to God in prayer. About all we seem to be doing then is going to a projected false god of our minds and bowing to it in prayer. That is scary. The God of the Bible tells us how to come to Him, and it is surely not just for our wants.