Asking God for What You Need
Prayer is Pointless without Your Request
Today, asking God for what we need will be the concluding theme of my series on prayer. So far, the National Day of Prayer has been centered on adoration, honest confessions, and thanksgiving.
While these elements are essential, prayer becomes an incomplete discipline if we do not make our request plain and known.
But why would someone choose not to ask God for what they need? How come some who courageously tell God about their needs don’t seem to receive an answer?
This article will answer these questions by defining two key terms and revealing what hinders most requests from being heard. Afterward, I’ll highlight five requests every Christian leader should ask God for in prayer.
The importance of Making Requests
Defining Supplication and Petition
When Christian leaders ask God for the eight requests we’ll discuss in the next section, this is known as a prayer of supplication. This is because they are seeking God to supply a personal desire.
However, when leaders decide to intercede on behalf of a sick relative or an impoverished nation, they are making a petition. Doing so allows intercessors to be selfless in prayer as they seek the Lord on another person’s behalf.
Being able to seek God for personal desires or another person’s needs is a blessing. With that being said, skeptics wonder why we must ask God for help through prayer if he knows everything.
We should seek God’s assistance daily because He is a relational creator who wants us to depend on Him. Peter confirms this, urging believers to cast their cares upon the Lord because he cares for them.
Along with taking comfort in Eliohim’s caring nature, we should also ask God because it’s a biblical command.
Philippians 4:6-7 proves this by urging believers to make their requests known to God.
Jesus also proves this when telling believers to ask, seek, and knock, the door will be open to them.
Asking God in Jesus’ Name
Jesus can make such a guarantee concerning prayer because of the authority in his name.
In John 14:14, Jesus says If we ask anything in his name, he will do it. Later, he mentions how he chooses his disciples to bear fruit so that the Father may grant whatever they ask in his name.
Furthermore, 1 John 5:14-15 talks about having confidence that Jesus hears and answers requests that are pleasing to Him. This confidence comes from the Father giving Jesus authority since He sacrificed His life to offer humanity eternal life.
By doing this, the Son of God tears the veil of sin, separating the Father from humans when they place their faith in Him. This means we can now approach the throne of grace with confidence to obtain the mercy and grace in our time of need.
Having the confidence to ask God and obtain grace and mercy in our time of need should compel us to pray. While Christ gives us the courage to pray, using his name doesn’t mean we will also receive what we’re asking God for.
I used to think using Jesus’ name was an all-access pass to getting everything I desired. However, using Jesus’ name means we surrender to God’s authority, knowing he will answer our request according to his will (ACTS in Prayer, 1974, Broaman Press, p.31).
Christ experiences this reality in the Garden of Gethsemane when anguishingly asking God to remove the cup of suffering from him. Thankfully, God denies the request for humanity’s sake.
Why Aren’t My Prayers Being Answered?
Just like Christ, there will be times God chooses not to answer our prayers. Sometimes, this apparent denial is the Father making us wait so He can fulfill His will in ways we cannot understand.
Waiting is beneficial because it strengthens our faith in God and helps us grow in maturity. But there are times when our immaturity is the reason why our prayers are heard.
Immaturity can manifest through doubt and impure motives, which displease God.
Our immaturity can also manifest through fear and complaining about our needs instead of praying.
When we intentionally fail to pray, we can be certain that God will not supply our needs.
Along with failing to pray, other specific sins can cause God to ignore us. Bill Hybels calls these sins prayer busters which are
- Unconfessed sins (2 Samuel 12:13-23).
- Unresolved conflicts (Matthew 5:23-24).
- Not providing aid to the needy (Proverbs 21:13).
These hindrances show that God takes both our personal and communal conduct seriously. If either of these areas displeases Him, we must repent, or our prayers will be in vain.
Asking God for 5 Requests
Asking God Concerning Our Desires
Once we repent, we are free to ask God for whatever we desire. Ironically, desires should be what every Christian leader spends time asking God for in prayer.
This is because our desires determine whether we will obey God or the flesh. The flesh is an unruly part of our nature that we must continually crucify to live for Christ.
Our motives will also affect our willingness to help others draw closer to Christ and walk in their purpose.
Knowing this, every leader should ask for the willingness to do what pleases him daily (Philippians 2:13). Additionally, all leaders must pray for the desire to make prayer a persistent and continual part of their lives (Ephesians 6:18).
Being persistent in prayer is an additional weapon believers can use to stand against spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-17). It’s prayer that
- Helps Elijah prove that God is greater than Baal.
- Allows Daniel to triumph in the lion’s den.
- Freed Paul and Silas from jail after enduring persecution for the Gospel.
Evidence of the Holy Spirit
Along with serving as a weapon against spiritual warfare, prayer can also help us stay in tune with the Holy Spirit. This is due to the Holy Spirit’s ability to intercede on our behalf with moans and groans humans can’t comprehend (Romans 8:26-27).
While the Holy Spirit willingly helps us in prayer, He will not force us to obey His leadings or the Father’s commands. Therefore, Christian leaders should regularly be asking God to give them the desire to walk in and yield to the Holy Spirit.
Yielding to the Holy Spirit is important so that we do not appease to our sinful nature. Following the Spirit is important because this is how we conform to our identity as God’s children.
Another way we confirm our identity as God’s children is by bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We need to ask God to help us bear fruit like love, joy, and long-suffering.
Bearing fruit demonstrates the Spirit’s power in our lives and acts as tangible evidence that can draw nonbelievers to the faith. The Spirit’s fruit also gives us the characteristics necessary to deal with the various personalities and situations we will encounter as spiritual leaders.
Seek God for Wisdom
The only way spiritual leaders can handle all the responsibilities og leadership is by asking God for wisdom. Proverbs 2:6 and James 1:5 encourage leaders to do this since God grants wisdom and will not rebuke those who ask.
Solomon takes advantage of this promise as his request for wisdom leads to God giving him.
- A discerning heart.
- Wealth and honor.
- Being distinguished as the wisest king ever.
- Long life if he obeys God’s commands.
The promise of long life through the wisdom of obeying God’s commands is also available to believers. In addition to longevity, wisdom can help Christian leaders.
- Listen to wise counsel (Proverbs 15:22).
- Make good decisions (Proverbs 13:15-18).
- Establish positive friendships (Proverbs 1:10-19).
- Manage money and other resources (Proverbs 21:20).
- Marry the right spouse (Proverbs 31:1-31).
- Avoid sexual immorality (Proverbs 7:5,24-27)
- Raise children (Proverbs 22:6).
- Develop a strong work ethic (Proverbs 6:6).
These reasons should compel leaders to get wisdom and understanding (Proverbs 4:5).
Are there any other requests leaders should be asking God for? Does this article encourage you to pray regularly? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Your comments are greatly appreciated!
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