Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: The Word Revealed - In Prayer, God Wants His Children to Ask - Luke 11:1-13, Luke 18:1-8, and Psalm 143

By

Ask, Ask Specifically, and Ask Persistently

Read Luke 11:1-13, Luke 18:1-8, and Psalm 143.  There are numerous Biblical passages we could explore in this section to make the point that God calls us to present our requests to Him with great specificity, with unwavering persistence, and with heartfelt passion.  The above three passages make this point powerfully from an intellectual, spiritual, and practical perspective.  There are many areas of our lives in which asking specifically, persistently, and passionately apply.  My challenge to you is to apply this concept to your love relationship with the Lord.  My desire for all of us is that we grow in our love relationship with God through a vibrant prayer life.  If we want to know more of God’s love, ask with the persistence of the friend who comes at midnight in Luke 11.  If we want to love God more passionately, ask with the passion of the widow before the judge in Luke 18.  If we want our hearts to overflow with a burning white-hot love, ask.  Don’t stop asking.

David asked in Psalm 143: 8 & 10, “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You…. Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.”  David wanted to grow in His relationship with the Lord.  He wanted to know and do God’s will.  He wanted to walk, and work, and love according to God’s way.  David wanted more than simply to live, he wanted to live for God.  Those who are most mature in their faith are those who plead persistently with God to be made more in love with God, to be made more loving in their life, to be made more patient, to be made more kind, to be made more joyful, to be made more disciplined.  They plead persistently for spiritual blessings, they plead passionately for more of God, His ways, His will.

Pause & Ponder & Pray: Write one page outlining the specific areas that you desire to grow in your love relationship with the Lord.  Be specific and passionate as you write.  Then take a step of vibrant faith and pray this prayer to the Lord persistently.

Conclusion

In recent weeks, The Word Revealed has addressed How to Pray. In particular, these devotionals have focused on our love relationship with the Lord.  The key to growing in that love relationship is simply to pray.  Enter into His presence often and with confidence.  Spend a majority of time in thanksgiving and praise, this is the love language that leads to growth in our love relationship with the Lord.  Run to God with the confession of your sins.  There is no growth in the love relationship when we try to hide our sins.  Pray concerning the ability for you to forgive others of their sins against you.  The more you forgive, the more you love the God that first forgave you.  And finally, be specific and persistent in your requests of God.  Focus as much on your spiritual love relationship with Him as you do on physical matters.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Psalm 88:1-4

By
Psalm 88:1-4  A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:  (2)  Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;  (3)  For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.  (4)  I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength" I've said this before and I will say it again (and probably more times before we get to the end of the Psalms) - I love the Psalms because I can surely identify with them. Most Psalms start in a low place and as the writer expresses his thoughts, the Lord begins to lift him up out of that dry place.  Though this entire Psalm is a fervent cry unto the Lord, the Psalmist tells us specifically in three verses that he cried daily unto the Lord. Just a few Psalms ago, we were reminded that God always hears our prayers. ...
Read more

Daily Devotion (Video): I Will Fear No Evil - Psalm 23:4

By
Read more

Daily Devotion: Knowing God By Bearing Fruit

By
Some will notice the title is not “Bearing fruit because we know God,” so to avoid getting sidetracked with that, we can start with the fact that we won’t bear any godly fruit unless our heart has been changed and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Also, to avoid confusion, I’ll be using the terms “bearing fruit,” “good works” and “service” interchangeably.  I took this article’s title from Part 7, of John Piper’s “Look at the Book” session on Colossians 1:9-12. I greatly encourage you to view that short video to get his excellent exposition on this subject.  When I saw the title of the video earlier this year, I got kind of excited because that’s the direction my thinking has gone in the past several years. My thinking was founded Biblically with verses on good works like Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven.” But I couldn’t expand it to expla...
Read more