Say Please

Recap

Matthew 7:7–11 ““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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 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!”

God wants us to come to Him and ask.

How are we suppose to ask? As a child coming to their Father.

If you interact with Aria, my daughter. Chances are she will be quiet and shy. That is not the same child that I interact at home.

She be crazy. She is neither quiet nor shy. She is loud and does not stop talking.

And one thing she does often is ask me for things.

Why?

Because she knows that I both have the means and I love her.

She knows I can give her what she asks for.

She also knows if I give it to her, she can receive it, because I love her and won’t harm her.

She doesn’t go to strangers, she doesn’t go to Loki, she goes to her parents.

What if I don’t know what to say?

Unlike Aria, Jace can’t talk. But like Aria, it doesn’t stop him from asking.

He cries, screams, babbles, squeaks, basically everything but talks.

Romans 8:26–27 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

You don’t have to be the most gifted speaker.

You don’t have to have the Bible memorized.

You don’t have to be a Christian for a long time.

You just need to be His kid.

You just need to ask.

God will give us good gifts.

He knows what is best for us.

Romans 8:26–30 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Being conformed into the image of his Son is what is best for us.

You might be saying, that isn’t always what I want.

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

If you delight in God, it changes what you want.

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

He wants to give us His wisdom.

You might be saying, Caleb, I ask all the time and I’ve gotten nothing.

There could be a few reasons why he didn’t say yes.

One, we ask with wrong motives.

James 4:1–3 “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

There are times Aria will ask for something, something that is good. And the answer is no.

I love cake. Cake is good… In moderation.

She will inhale cake. And then ask for more.

Do I want to give her more? Yes, she is cute. I want her to like me. But if I give her too much, she will get a tummy ache.

Two, maybe the answer isn’t no, but it’s wait.

God always answers pray, but it might not be yes or no, it might be wait.

Which sometimes is harder than no.

What if you ask him for something good, like someone to be saved or you to stop sinning?

We need to ask, then trust God. Trust His timing. Trust His wisdom.

I wish I could tell you why the answer isn’t always “Yes right now.” But I do know that He is a good father, and we can trust Him.

Question: Who do you turn to when you need something?

Questions: 1. The lesson talks about how a child asks boldly because they trust their parent’s love and ability. What sometimes keeps you from asking God boldly for what you need?

2. Romans 8:26 says the Spirit helps us when we don’t know what to pray. How does it encourage you to know that you don’t have to have the “right words” for God to hear you?

3. Have you ever prayed for something good and the answer felt like “no” or “wait”? How did that affect your trust in God? Looking back, do you see anything God might have been doing?

4. James 4:3 talks about asking with wrong motives. What are some examples of prayers that might come from selfish motives? How can we check our hearts before we pray?

5. Psalms 37:4 says when we delight in the Lord, He shapes our desires. How do you think spending time with God changes what you want over time?