What Do We Dare To Ask?

“Won’t you be willing to pray ridiculous prayers out of ridiculous faith“~ Pamela Crim (Big Life Devotional)

I’ve heard it preached, by reputable pastors, that we ought not bother God with petty prayer requests like “Oh Lord what should I cook for dinner tonight?” I feel really sad when I hear this, because I ask God for stuff like that all the time.

“Lord, what should I wear today?”

“Father, would you please help me get my bracelet on?”

“God, where should I meet my friend for lunch today?”

Not only does He answer prayers like these, but I wonder if He doesn’t delight in our childlike requests.

God cares about every one of our prayer requests, no matter how big or small they may seem to us.

Perhaps our prayer requests are all the same to God? Nothing is too hard or impossible for Him, so aren’t we the ones deciding what is a “big” prayer request, or a “small” one? So then, how can we say asking Him to help us figure out what to wear for that day is a meager prayer request?

In James 4:2, we are taught; “You do not have because you do not ask [it of God].” This doesn’t mean we get everything we ask God for, but if our motive is pure, I believe it means we can safely ask our Heavenly Father for anything and everything (as long as we know to entrust the outcome to Him).

The more specific we are with our prayers, the more glory is brought to the Lord when He answers them.

Here’s an example from my life; when we sold our house of eighteen years, our buyers wanted a three week closing. We didn’t want to lose the sale, and so we conceded. It was one of the most stressful 3 weeks of my life as I had to pack up our not-so-small house, as well as look for our next home. One morning, however, I prayed some very specific prayers. I told God, in detail, what the desires of my heart were for my next home.

Here’s my prayer written in my journal:

July 14,2015

“Jesus, you have never let me down. I know you won’t let me down now either-especially since this is such a big decision. I’m sorry for doubting your faithfulness for even a minute. You have the perfect home ready for us…we just have to wait on your perfect timing. I think I just want to know so I can start decorating and planning…

Father, I pray it would be a home that is

1. in a safe neighborhood
2. a bright home-lots of natural light
3. hardwood floors throughout
4. granite counter tops
5. may it have a front and a back patio to sit in
6. lots of lush green trees 
7. not too far from Will’s and Nolan’s jobs
8. not too far from Nikki’s college
9. spacious enough for us  

Each day after that I thanked and praised God for His goodness and faithfulness, even though we still didn’t have a home to move into.

I, however, kept believing by faith that God would bring us a nice home to live in. I also had to consistently confess my anxious heart, because the truth is that although I had faith to believe God could do this, I still doubted (Mark 9:23-24). Six days later, we had our new home, and God blessed me with every request I had asked of Him. Everything on my list was in this house. In fact, our new home had 4 skylights and 2 huge bay windows. It was the brightest house I’ve ever been in.

God cares about everything that we care about. He is in the details of our lives, no matter how big or small. He desires to lavish His love on us, and He often will bless us above and beyond what we could ask or hope for. I want to encourage you today, whatever you are believing God for,  to come boldly to the throne of our gracious God, and courageously ask Him for your heart’s deepest desires. You will receive His mercy, and find His grace to help you when you need it most (Hebrews 4:16). Take the risk to ask Him for the things you want in your life, and be very specific. Leave your requests with Him, and surrendering all your apprehensions, as you trust Him.

God wants us to be real with Him, communicate with Him like you would with a trusted friend, an earthly parent, or anyone that you respect.

This is why praying specific prayers is so important. He sees your heart anyways, but He desires to have a personal relationship with you. Intimacy requires honest, open, heart-to-heart communication. Although God doesn’t always give us our hearts desires, we can trust that He wants what is good for us. He loves us with a love that we cannot fully grasp (Ephesians 3:19). May we strive to do our part, and give Him the honor of relating to Him with authenticity.

My example above of what I wanted in my new house can sound like a hollow prayer request. But this is precisely my point- pray “shallow” prayers because we aren’t the ones to decide what’s trivial and what’s not. When God brought us to a house that had everything on my list, it strengthened my faith. It changed my prayer life. I became aware of the importance of praying more detailed in my prayers. I began to understand why Jesus wants us to have childlike faith.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” ~ Matthew 7:7-8.

Many of you are praying and believing God for much more critical things than getting a house with hardwood floors etc. You are asking the Lord for relationships to be restored, healing for a sick loved one, for a prodigal to come back, etc. It’s easy to put our human thinking onto a mighty God. For us, these are monumental prayer requests. For the God of the universe, there is no prayer request that is too little or too big, for nothing is impossible for Him. Just always keep in mind that God is sovereign, and that His ways are higher than our ways. Do your part and simply take a step of faith to ask Him for all that you yearn for. May your heart be open to however He may answer, knowing that He adores you.

Mark 11:24: ^“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”