ASK (DEVOTIONAL)

Many of us so thanks in word, singing, dancing, running, etc... So often I find myself praying along with the words of a song. It guides me so well... The chorus of "Hosanna" by Hllsong United (Lyrics and Video at the bottom) is so powerful that as soon as I hear it my heart starts praying with those words as my prayer. Sometimes words fail me and thus praying along with someone's else's prayer helps me :)...


Jesus was talking to Religious Leaders (Matthew 6) when He said:
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy (Hallowed).
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

God knows our needs, even before we ask. Why ask then??? To build relationship, to enlighten/reveal truth (help us become aware of deeper needs, wounds, unhealthy patterns of thought, etc), and to free us. "Thy Will be done"... By praying our hearts soften and open-up to His voice and love. His thoughts become our thoughts and His heart moves ours. Without His heart and word leading, our hearts WILL lead us astray:

Jeremiah 17:8-10
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.


Knowing that I NEED His wisdom I pray these prayers almost daily:

Psalm 139:23-14
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.




James 1
5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

What does our Good God say about prayer and asking:
Luke 11:10
"For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.

Why are some prayers not answered in the way or timing we'd prefer???

Since we are temporal and our knowledge is finite in comparison to God we won't be able to know everything nor can we see all that God sees (beyond time, the tapastry of how our actions combine with those of others, etc). God in His goodness helps us know some important reasons why many prayers are answered by God in different ways:

James 4:3
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives,...

As we pray we learn about God's heart and character. God's mercy and love is married with His wisdom. His timing is perfect and His provision for us is always inspiried out of love for us. Due to His love, He knows we are healing and growing in our knowledge of Him... as well as our knowledge of our needs, areas of growth, as well as how to pray. He helps us...

Romans 8:26-27
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Again, WHY SHOULD WE PRAY if God is praying in us and for us, already?

Hebrews 12:2
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God

Philippians 1:6
For I (Paul) am confident of this very thing, that He (Jesus/God) Who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.



As we talk with God we build relationship. Your heart will grow to hear His Spirit in you... He may ask you questions regarding things He knows the answers to, but is guiding you...helping you process. He allows us to join Him in loving others.

God wants to rebuild those ancient ruins IN YOU... Sometimes we fear letting go of old wounds and fears because they are like clothing for us. We grow into them as if we are our skin. These old ruins bring us false comfort and a false identity. God doesn't want us to live a life without joy or a true knowledge of Him or without a true knowledge of who we were intially designed for: to be a home for His Spirit (Jesus in us).

Isaiah 61:4
They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
repairing cities destroyed long ago.

If you have doubts, questions, etc. God loves you and knows... He encourages you to ask. Ask for faith. Ask to know love for God. Ask to know Who Jesus is... Ask...

Mark 9:24
Immediately the boy's father cried out (to Jesus) and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

How do we pray?
Review Matthew 6 above... It's not our words but our hearts that God loves. He wants relationship not our doings... We can talk and visualize what we hope for but without God in our lives, those prays and hopes may mislead us or trick us. God may put some of those prays on your hearts to ask of Him. Why? To build relationship with Him. When a prayer is answered you remember that GOD brought those to you... All good gifts come from God. (Matthew 7:11)

2 Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Romans 3:3
What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? NO :)


Love you all!! God is good... no matter what our circumstances or emotions might say...
“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.” C.S. Lewis



HOSANNA By Hillsong United

I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes

I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

[Chorus]
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest [x2]

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith

I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

[Chorus]
-Heal my heart and make it clean...
-Open up my eyes to the things unseen...
-Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours...
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to Eternity





Psalm 139:17-18
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand
When I awake, I am still with You.


We get to see the lil person today!! :)