July 19, 2010 Monday Message:

In Luke 11, after teaching what we call The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus shared a little more commentary: “So I say to you: 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.”

Our God is a God of abundance, and He has a lot in store for you. He delights in relationships with his children. God would love it if you’d take some time to talk with Him. Therefore this requires action on our part. We can’t sit in one place, wondering why God doesn’t take better care of us. We need to call down help from heaven. Get busy and ask, seek, knock!

Just so you know, this isn’t just a one-time offer. The verbs in the text imply a continuous nature. Therefore keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Be persistent. Get caught-up in this God-thing. Do it over and over. Pray like a small child, who looks to his parents for all substance. Pray expecting an answer. Pray expecting it to be so. Remember, Paul said to pray continually.

Does God respond when you pray? Do you hear back from the creator? Remember that God’s answer could be “Yes,” “No,” or “Not yet.” Personally, even when I pray for something good, I seldom get the timing right. God’s timing is always right. If we don’t hear from God, the problem is in our receiving, not in God’s desire to give.

For what do you pray? God created you in His image and loves all of you, the good parts and the bad parts. He cares about your health, your marriage, your children, your financial condition, and your spiritual condition. Bring it ALL before the Lord.

Have you prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit? God especially delights in giving the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. We should never doubt God’s desire to pour out His Spirit.

God is way bigger than we can even imagine. If you could compare our asking to God’s giving, God would win every time. God is awesome!

for Him!

Norton Lawellin