Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Ask Him

"Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: "Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me." (Isaiah 45:11)

The other day my son Brice and I were spending some time together and while having lunch my son asked me a very funny question that I am sure some pastor's kids have asked before. He asked me, "Dad why don't you work a job like other kids parents?" I then explained to him after laughing first, that I do have a job as a pastor. I think he understood. Thankfully, my son is not afraid to ask me something about myself he doesn't know. Its' the same in our walk with the Lord. It has taken most of my life, my Christian life, to finally realize that if I want to know something from the Lord, then I just need to ask Him. Sounds kind of like a no-brainer, but for some reason, I spent most of my time dealing with the Lord and my personal requests. I have prayed pretty much my whole life. I have prayed very specifically at times and I have prayed in the bigger picture at times, but I have always prayed. What I did not necessarily pray about, though, were of “things to come.” I think many of us tend to pray about the here and now issues, or the things that we want “to come,” not necessarily asking the Lord to reveal what He is doing “concerning the work of My hands.” Why is this important to understand? When I see verses that say to “ask” the Lord for something, then I know that must be His will. Today’s verse even says “you command Me.” Instead of just focusing on the issues in our immediate path, let’s ask the Lord about what He is doing down the road, so to speak. I have been immensely blessed and have had huge increases in my own level of faith because I have learned to ask the Lord “of things to come” and have seen Him answer through circumstances or situations that have come to pass. My role is to ask, then to pray for wisdom and discernment in how to go forth in what He shows me. We need to know that the Lord is more than willing to reveal things to us, if we are seeking Him with all of our hearts. As we grow in our walk with Christ, He will teach us His ways and mold our character into more of His image. When we spend time in His Word, we begin to see how verses like Isaiah 45:11 take on a whole new meaning to us personally. When the Holy Spirit impresses a verse upon your heart, take it to prayer and seek the Lord in what He is saying to you. Maybe God wants to reveal something to you…maybe “of things to come.”

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