Part 4: "THE PRAYER OF ASKING"

Matt 6:9-13 “9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

WEVE BEEN IN A SERIES CALLED “AMEN” all about prayer.

“When not if” - Frequency

“The prayer of Despair” - The prayer of FAITH

“The Secret Prayer” - Or the Secret to PRAYER is the Secret place of prayer (challenge)

The title of the message today: THE PRAYER OF “ASKING” (Supplication or request). (vs 11)

1 Chronicles 4:9–10 (ESV)

9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.

THE WORD SUPPLICATION: 60 Times in scripture

supplication comes from the Latin verb “supplicare”, which means "to plead humbly."

To humbly ENTREAT… To Plead… to ASK. to PRAY with SUPPLICATION

Let me show you a few verses here:

Eph 6:18 “18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”

1 Tim 2:1 “1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,”

Chief text that most of us know....

Phil 4:6 “6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

HERE IS A QUESTION: IF GOD IS GOD. AND HE OWNS EVERYTHING KNOWS EVERHYTHING AND IS LORD OVER ALL> WHY DO I NEED TO ASK HIM FOR ANYTHING, SURELY HE’s GOT A GOOD READ ON MY LIFE AND MY STUFF.

Matt 6:8 “8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

But throughout the bible we see requests, we see supplication… we see ASKING & we see answering!

WHY IS ASKING IMPORTANT? Why when we pray is it important that we ask.

1.WE ASK BECAUSE WE NEED (Provision).

God doesnt mess things up & he means for Daily bread is in the LORDS prayer.

matt 6:11 “Give us this day, our DAILY Bread”

Why DAILY BREAD?

Why daily not monthly not annually?

This is reflective of the OT narrative of God choosing to DAILY give provision to his people. Remember the wilderness, rememver the manna?

Exodus 16:31 “31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.”

Numbers 11:8 “8 The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.”

Ps 105:40 “40 They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.”

We ask because we need. OUr need is daily!

So....

ask - daily!

WRITE THIS DOWN: THE TRUE PURPOSE OF PRAYER IS RELATIONSHIP

The point of asking is that GOD WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE?

The reason he likes there to be an ask is because he wants to be the one you ASK.

“ASK GOD, NOT GOOGLE”

Why don’t we ask? well thats probably because we think we don’t need (thats pride). or that he doesn’t care (thats an orphan spirit). But the reality is were not able to provide for ourselves and we aren’t orphans - we are children of God and we are in NEED....we still need. You need daily bread. i need daily bread and without it

What does daily bread look like?

What should we pray for?

Lets look at what JABEZ asked for

1 Chronicles 4:10 ESV

10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.

Ask God to BLESS You

Ask God to Enlarge your borders.... to grow your life. your world. your family.

Ask God to be with you as you do it

Ask God to keep you from being HURT… and NOT HURTING anyone else!

(thought: you should ask GOD to bless you and give you money. Give you resource. Give you opportinity - its a pverty mentality to expect that God would want you to suffer and not be blessed. Jesus suffered so you could be blessed. Why resist that?

Allow the scriptures to SHAPE your MINDSET:

“And God.... GRANTED - what HE ASKED”.

2.WE ASK BECAUSE HE SUPPLIES (He knows what we need and He’s ready to supply it to us)

There is a reason why we pray and we ask. Its because we have a GOD who supplies our needs

the miracle in the wilderness wasn’t that God delivered them, it was that he KEPT them alive.

Deut 29:5 “5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet.”

God KNOWS HOW TO GIVE YOU WHAT IT IS THAT YOU NEED.

God wants to SHOW YOU how well he can take care of you.

The questions is.... will you let him?

STOPPING HERE FOR A QUICK Stewardship principle: The reason you are being made to wait… is because God wants to SHOW you how he is able to provide for you. and when he does supply he wants you to appreciate it.

The waiting parts is just as important if not MORE important than the supply because its in the waiting that we get to understand some things namely that WHEN it does come.... Ill value it WAY more than if i just GO GET IT MYSELF.

WE ASK - and WE WAIT - God Gives.

Maybe the reason your not getting is because your not asking. (we ask our spouse, we ask our boss, we ask our friends, we ask the bank and the credit card company - but sometimes we dont ask God. and SO he doesnt give us what we ned because we haven't COME To HIM as the SUPPLIER OF OUR NEEDS

WHAT ARE YOU NEEDING THAT YOU HAVEN’T ASKED FOR?

JESUS said - ASK IN MY NAME (last week) / Thats in JOHN 16:23-24

John 16:23–24 (ESV)

23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Jesus said ASK… and you shall RECEIVE

Matthew 7:7–11 (ESV)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are 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!

ASK BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHATS GOOD FOR YOU

3.WE ASK BECAUSE WE ARE HIS. (He wants us to ask because he knows what He needs but what God REALLY wants is our heart - the totality of who we are).

Proverbs 30:7-9 “7 Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”

the real effect of prayer is this: whenever we pray we reposition our hearts to remember that we are not ABANDONED by God.

if your an orphan you have no parents

If you have an orphaned spirit you don’t pray. because feel let go. you feel unworthy of a father.

But we have a FATHER who hasnt let us GOD but is calling us CLOSE in prayer.

This is why God wants us to ask. Not because we have material needs in this world. Its because he wants to be a DAD to us.

This is why GOD wont take anything less than first place. Its because He’s the FIRST ONE.

He is God. You are HIS CHILD .... and HE LOVES YOU.