Pet Peeves about asking: Number one in a series

1 John 5:

14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

The concept of asking according to God's will seems silly, if something is of God's will, why do we need to ask?  If we, by our free will, choose to walk in His will, would our needs not come about with or without His asking?  I mean, if its God's will it will come to pass, thats kind of the nature of the will of an omnipotent being.  In my mind, the need to ask seems to imply some deficit on God's end, that He must be informed by us about our needs and wants.  This is obviously not true as the requisite proof text illustrates, "...for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."  Matthew 6:8.  He's omniscient,  of course He knows, so why must we then ask Him for things?

Quick answer, because the Bible tells us to do it that way. 

    James 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war,     yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Easy as that, if we don't ask God for stuff won't get it and we'll end up killing each other to try and get it.  Anything deeper than that I really can't say for sure.

Don't worry though, I'm not going to leave with out a little speculating.  My gut tells me it has something to do with our Father/child relationship with God. 

    Mt 7:11  "If you (earthly parents) then, being 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!"

Our earthly parents (in theory) give us everything we need to live and to do their will, but kids still ask for all sorts of other things.  If the thing asked for fits into the parents will, they will happily give it to the child.   God, like our early parents, except perfect, will also happily give us good things for which we ask.  This does nothing for the question of whether our needing to ask for things somehow lessens the potency of God's will, but it makes me feel better somehow.

Another speculation lies in my lasting fixation on faith and works.  If we are to receive good things from God by faith, where is the step by which we exercise the faith which God has given us.  Maybe He tells us to ask Him for things as another way of walking out our faith.   We see a need, God gives us faith that the fulfillment of said need is of His will, we ask Him, He gives it, and our faith is built up by seeing Him work.  Maybe?

Whatever the case, God says ask Him for what you need or, more appropriately, ask Him for the things which fit into His will and you'll get them.  Don't ask and you don't get nuthin'.

   

Comments

[Aaron J. Siver]

Well, you got me there, man. If you come up with an answer to why should we pray, let me know. I myself have a lot of difficulty trying to understand the need for prayer when there's an omnipotent and benevolent God involved. Maybe part of the picture is something C.S. Lewis said: "Prayer doesn't change God; it changes me." Not that that's anywhere near the full story, but maybe it's a piece of the puzzle.