The Gift of Petition

Here's something to think and meditate on, and pray about ...

Yesterday in family devotions my dad pointed out something similar between Mark 10:36 and 10:51.
In the first case, James and John come to Jesus to ask for "high command" positions beside the Messiah in his new Kingdom that they thought he would soon establish on earth. Jesus asked them, "What do you want me to do for you?" ...
In the second case, a blind man comes to Jesus to ask him to have mercy on him and restore his sight. Jesus again asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" ...
In the first case, the request was denied. In the second, it was granted.

I won't go into the details of why one was denied and another granted, but it is interesting to see that even though the first request was quite selfish ... so, in a sense, was the second (again, in a sense). After all, the beggar didn't ask Jesus to "let your will be done" or "please make me holy like you" or "show me a glimpse of your glory" or anything "spiritual" like that ... no, he asked that he would have his sight restored. He didn't even piously add anything about "let me recover my sight, for God's glory," or "but your will be done." No, it was a plain-cut request asking for Jesus to meet a personal need.

Also interesting, in BOTH cases Jesus didn't just look at them and say, "Oh, grow up! Why on earth would you ask for that? No, no ... all you need is a healthy dose of humility and contentment." No ... in the first case, Jesus patiently pointed James and John to true greatness in humility. In the second case, Jesus restored the man's sight, and commented on his faith!

Why all this? Well, it brings to mind the words of Jesus time and time again throughout the Gospels and the Bible. "Ask, and you will receive." "How much more will the heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him?" "Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking." "You have not because you ask not."

Imagine coming before Jesus and him asking you, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Now, please understand, I am not advocating a health and wealth kind of prayer, claiming that all Christians deserve good things and money and cars and fame, blah blah blah. I am not saying that God gives you anything and everything you ask for ("God, I want my own private yacht"). I am not saying that we can somehow use God's invitation to prayer and His promises to "twist His arm" into giving us stuff. No, no.
I am saying that Jesus invites us as God's beloved children to come before him constantly, not only to worship Him, but also to petition Him for our needs and desires, and those of others. He sovereignly controls our entire lives, and yet He desires that we converse with Him and ask Him for things according to His purpose. He will not give us everything that we ask for, but when we pray according to His will, He does give us those things which most pleases Him to gift us with (see I John 5:15).

Pray! Talk with God! He is your Lord, and He is your loving Father. He is both awesome in power and kind and tenderly caring and interested in everything that concerns you!

It seems a bit selfish, but it is hard to escape the fact that Jesus said these words so many times! God is a generous God! If you doubt His generosity ... think about the cost of the cross.

"He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, with Him, graciously give us all things?"

So often we keep our hurts, cares, thoughts, desires all bottled up inside! Prayer is a marvelous gift, a personal communion and conversation and fellowship with God.

What a shame to waste such a precious gift and not pray!

On that note ... talk to God now. No time like the present.