Before We Ask – Be Single Minded

Matthew 6:8 (NKJV)

“… For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

I was praying the other morning and remembered a package was to be delivered that day. I had an appointment that was going to prevent me from receiving the package and there is always a risk of theft, so I was concerned. I asked the Lord to have the package delivered before I left. Then, I distinctly remember saying, “I know that is a hard ask Lord, after all, I need it in the next few hours and things don’t usually arrive here until much later in the day.” Thirty minutes later, the package was at my door. Then this verse came to mind. You see, that package had to leave the factory well before my prayer started if it was going to meet my timeline . You may think this is a ridiculous example but, for me, it was as if the Lord used that package to remind me that He knows everything I need and is fully prepared to deliver.

Sometimes we need a reminder, don’t we? We have things larger than a package that we have asked of God for a long time and they have yet to come. Is the answer “wait” or is it “no”? We hold on to hope by assuming the answer is “wait”. How do we know? How long do we ask? Should we be like the woman who kept pounding on her neighbor’s door until she received what she needed? (Luke 11:5-8) Should we stop asking like Paul when he asked only three times? (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

I don’t know the answer, but I recognize that sometimes “wait” feels a whole lot like “no”. Our spirit can become deflated. Our hope can dissipate. Our faith can fail. We think the answer must be “no” because it has been so long, but the thought of it being “no” is almost too much to bear. Hope deferred can, indeed, make a heart sick. (Proverbs 13:12a)

If He already knows, why do we ask? This verse directly precedes the model prayer. Why would God tell us that He already knows what we need and then still tell us to ask? Maybe it is because we need to remember that He is ever present in our lives. Maybe we need to remember our dependence Him. Maybe it is to cause us to evaluate the appropriateness of what we are asking. Maybe it is so we recognize that He is answering our prayers and is intricately involved in every part of our lives. Maybe it is because we have so many needs and wants, that if we didn’t ask we would have little hope of receiving an answer. Maybe it is because we need to remember that there is a God and He is not us.

Whatever the reason, our prayers are not meant to inform God of what we need or want. He already knows. Our prayers are meant to align us with what God has for us. They are meant to be a door where God can show Himself faithful. He is not a prize dispensary, but He is the source of everything good in our lives. He knows what we need. He knows what we want. He knows what is best. We can trust Him. So whether His answer is “yes”, “no”, or “wait”, we accept it as good and right because we know that our loving heavenly Father always knows and is ready to deliver before we ask.