April 24th, 2026
This week, I have been thinking about the importance of asking God in prayer. Our prayer life cannot only be asking Him for things, of course. We can’t bring Him a daily grocery list and let that be the only conversation we have. We are meant to pray without ceasing! However, when we are in an intimate relationship with our Father, it is His expectation that we ask Him.
We see this truth clearly in the Word of God. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, and His model prayer included several petitions. He taught us to ask for our daily bread, forgiveness, God’s will to come to earth, guidance, and deliverance, all in one prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Directly before this though, Jesus said in Matthew 6:7-8,
“When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
Jesus instructed us not to misunderstand the heart of the Father. He was not devaluing the power of asking but teaching how to do it. We can’t think that if we pray louder, better, or with fancier words, God will hear us. Our prayer must be based upon our relationship with Him. God knows everything we need and is more willing to give than we will ever understand—but we still have to ask!
James 4:2 says,
“…You do not have, because you do not ask.”
Mark 11:24 says,
“Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Matthew 7:7-15 says,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
The truth in these scriptures will change our lives if we truly believe it! Simply asking has the power to change the course of our lives. What are you asking Him for? Matthew 14:22-32 is a familiar story, and there are a great many things we can learn from it. It says,
‘Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered Him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of Him, saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.’
We could talk about so many things in this story, but this week, I was thinking about the fact that Jesus only called Peter out onto the water, because he asked. I believe if any of the disciples had asked to come out onto the water, Jesus would have commanded them to come, but their fear kept them in the boat. So often, we are waiting on a miracle, when God is waiting on us to ask and take a step of faith!
To conclude this week, I want to share three things the Bible teaches about how to ask. First, as we already saw in Mark 11:24, we have to believe when we ask. Faith moves the heart of God, and we have to ask and receive in faith. James 1:5-8 says,
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
God gives generously to all without reproach, and that’s not just true for wisdom! We have to ask in faith.
Next, we have to ask rightly. There is a wrong way to ask! James 4:3 says,
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
We can’t expect to receive what we ask for if we ask selfishly, out of alignment with God’s heart. 1 John 5:14-15 says,
“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.”
God will never say no to something His Word has already promised. If we are in relationship with Him and allowing His Word to shape our hearts and minds, our requests will align with His will! He promises the desires of our hearts as we delight in Him. Psalm 37:4 says,
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Finally, we can come boldly to our Father’s throne and ask, only when we are living in accordance with His Word. If we are not living in obedience, His promises are not for us. 1 John 3:22 says,
“…whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.”
This week, we encourage you to come boldly to the throne of grace and ask for the good things He has for you. He is a good Father! Salvation, peace, joy, healing, provision, and freedom are His promises. It is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom, as we ask in accordance with His Word!
We see this truth clearly in the Word of God. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, and His model prayer included several petitions. He taught us to ask for our daily bread, forgiveness, God’s will to come to earth, guidance, and deliverance, all in one prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Directly before this though, Jesus said in Matthew 6:7-8,
“When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
Jesus instructed us not to misunderstand the heart of the Father. He was not devaluing the power of asking but teaching how to do it. We can’t think that if we pray louder, better, or with fancier words, God will hear us. Our prayer must be based upon our relationship with Him. God knows everything we need and is more willing to give than we will ever understand—but we still have to ask!
James 4:2 says,
“…You do not have, because you do not ask.”
Mark 11:24 says,
“Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Matthew 7:7-15 says,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
The truth in these scriptures will change our lives if we truly believe it! Simply asking has the power to change the course of our lives. What are you asking Him for? Matthew 14:22-32 is a familiar story, and there are a great many things we can learn from it. It says,
‘Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. And after He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered Him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of Him, saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.’
We could talk about so many things in this story, but this week, I was thinking about the fact that Jesus only called Peter out onto the water, because he asked. I believe if any of the disciples had asked to come out onto the water, Jesus would have commanded them to come, but their fear kept them in the boat. So often, we are waiting on a miracle, when God is waiting on us to ask and take a step of faith!
To conclude this week, I want to share three things the Bible teaches about how to ask. First, as we already saw in Mark 11:24, we have to believe when we ask. Faith moves the heart of God, and we have to ask and receive in faith. James 1:5-8 says,
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
God gives generously to all without reproach, and that’s not just true for wisdom! We have to ask in faith.
Next, we have to ask rightly. There is a wrong way to ask! James 4:3 says,
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
We can’t expect to receive what we ask for if we ask selfishly, out of alignment with God’s heart. 1 John 5:14-15 says,
“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.”
God will never say no to something His Word has already promised. If we are in relationship with Him and allowing His Word to shape our hearts and minds, our requests will align with His will! He promises the desires of our hearts as we delight in Him. Psalm 37:4 says,
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Finally, we can come boldly to our Father’s throne and ask, only when we are living in accordance with His Word. If we are not living in obedience, His promises are not for us. 1 John 3:22 says,
“…whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.”
This week, we encourage you to come boldly to the throne of grace and ask for the good things He has for you. He is a good Father! Salvation, peace, joy, healing, provision, and freedom are His promises. It is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom, as we ask in accordance with His Word!
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