Ask and it shall be given

Luke chapter 11.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father,hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

A few years ago Bishnu sent a friend request to me on Facebook. I thought he would ask me about money, but time passed and he didn’t. But after a few months he started to ask me: when will you come and visit me? I said maybe in the future, but he kept asking, but always humbly, gently and lovingly. I doubted and thought that it can’t happen, can I really go to Bangladesh, but one day I thought: why not? And I said yes, I will come!

I didn’t believe it, But today it’s a reality. This is the third time that I’m here in less than two years. It’s amazing and it’s the work of Jesus Christ. There is no limit to what God can do. with God all things are possible, and all things are possible to him that believes. Bishnu asked and believed.

Bishnu prayed like Jesus taught, he didn’t give up. Be persistent. Knock, and keep knocking! He asked several times, always humbly, always gently, always lovingly, always patiently, but he kept asking and kept believing. We need perseverance and patience. When we pray there will often be a thought in our mind: there is no use to pray. God doesn’t hear you or answer you! But that’s the voice of the Devil. Don’t believe him, he’s a liar! God hears every prayer and those who pray a lot will see many answers.

No, we don’t receive all the things we ask for because God is a good and all-knowing Father, and He knows what is best for us and sometimes we think: God, this is something good for me, why don’t you answer me? But God sees further into the future and He might see something else. Maybe it’s not good for you, or at least not right now. God wants you to be made like Christ, that’s His plan for you.

And just like Jesus had to bow to the will of the Father in Gethsemane, although Jesus asked the Father to remove the cup of suffering, Jesus said: not as I will, but Your will be  done. We too must accept that sometimes we don’t receive what we ask for, but Jesus still loves us and we still love Him.

We pray first of all because we want to be in the presence of Jesus, we seek God. There is no better way to come closer to Jesus than to pray and read the Word of God. And we pray not only to receive things from God, but to get to know Him, to come closer to Christ. We seek and love Jesus more than what He gives us!

And Bishnu believed when he prayed. We should also ask believing that with God all things are possible. But You don’t need a great and strong faith in your own heart. Many so called faith-preachers from the United States teach that today, but it’s not what true, biblical faith is.

Biblical faith is that no matter how small faith I have, even if it is like a mustard seed, I bring my small faith in a prayer before God and I trust and believe in a God who is Almighty, who is my friend and my loving Father, and I just trust that He can do this, no matter how small my faith is.
(B)

We should also have the picture of a close relationship between a child and a loving Father, that’s what our faith is. Almost all parents in Sweden love when their children come humbly before them and simply ask, and say thank you!

It’s the same with God. It’s written in Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

In Swedish the word “request” is translated with the word “wish”. To wish is very humble. So just give God thanks, and let Him know the wishes of your heart.

But we must remember how to pray and learn to pray humbly, in love and with the fear and respect for God. In your prayers, don’t try to control God, manipulate, command or demand things from God, it’s not possible and not right. No, just ask as a child asks his loving father. Father, please do this for me!

(A)

In Matthew 6:33 it’s written: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

If you first seek His Kingdom, you will be given what you need, like food and clothes. To seek first the Kingdom of God means that you first pray for the things that belong to God, for spiritual things and for other people. It’s not wrong to pray for yourself, no, do that, and you can also pray for your earthly needs, but seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, put Jesus first, and the rest will be given to you. That’s what Jesus Himself said, and what He says is true. If you only pray for yourself and earthly things, there will be no true spiritual blessing upon your life. At least it’s my experience. The Letter of James says that if we pray selfishly we will not receive what we ask for. Pray unselfishly.

And if you all the time pray: bless me, bless me, and don’t pray for other people, there will also be no real blessing upon yourself. Yes, ask Jesus to bless you, but first to bless others!

Jesus also said: give, and it shall be given to you. Give love to others, and you will receive love. Spread joy and you shall receive joy. Spread the blessings of God and you shall be blessed. And don’t forget: being in Christ you already are blessed! So just thank God for that!

Also when you ask, don’t do it like a angry child that cries for more candy, no, Come in the right attitude of heart. Humbly. Grateful. In love for Jesus. Like a child to a loving, strong and also a bit fearsome father, it means, come in respect and the fear of God.
(X)
And almost all parents love when their children say: thank you, and God is not different. We have so much to thank God for, food, clothing and somewhere to sleep, and when we thank God and live in gratefulness towards God the channel for God’s spiritual blessings are opened up over our lives, to pass on to others. We don’t keep our blessings for ourselves.

and we should not be selfish towards God either. He wants our love, just as we want His love. So ask Jesus to give you a heart that truly loves Him. To be loved is great, but to be the one who loves Jesus with all your heart is also great, and that heart is a great treasure. Ask Jesus to place a love, a longing, a thirst for Him in your heart. We have a prayer in Sweden that goes like this: happiness comes and happiness goes, whoever loves God, happiness gets. True happiness is to be loved by Jesus, but also to love Him.

But we also need to rest. Sometimes you should just rest in Jesus’s love, just rest in the fact that He loves you and that you are His child, and rejoice in that thought. Sometimes, don’t pray, just rest and let God work. Do nothing and just let Jesus love you for some time if you are tired. And also rest from praying. Ask a few times, then you just thank God that He has heard your prayers and that He will do what is right and good.

But what should we ask for more than anything else? We should ask for the things that belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name, that is that Your Name be kept Holy, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

For more of Jesus. Ask Jesus to give you more love for Him, and simply ask! Jesus, give me more of your love! Give me more of your joy, more of your peace, more patience and more faith. Jesus will give it to you!

more love for His Divine Word. For more of His Holy Spirit. For more of the Heavenly, spiritual blessings upon our lives, because they will greatly affect others around us. Pray that you become a source for joy, love and peace for others. For more people to be saved. For His Kingdom to come here on earth, to see His will be done in our lives. Pray that your lives be more Holy and righteous. That is what we should pray for more than anything else.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

The most precious thing that Jesus can give you is the Holy Spirit, Christ living inside of you. Ask, and it shall be given.

The most precious gift you can ever ask God for is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Jesus Christ living inside of you, and with that comes the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians chapter 5: the joy, peace and love of Jesus Christ, an amazing love! That is the most precious gift that God ever can give to you. Ask for the Holy Spirit, and to be filled with Him everyday. The Holy Spirit is a seal, a proof that you are a beloved child of God and that one day the riches of Heaven will be yours.

And when the Lord gives us spiritual blessings, we don’t keep it for ourselves, we give it to others. Material gifts are not so important to me, but I want to give you what I have. I pray several times a day: Jesus, fill my heart with Your love, joy and peace, and I long to see you love Jesus Christ more, be more filled with His Holy Spirit, I want to give you the joy, peace and love of Jesus Christ that I have been given. that’s the gift that I want to give to you! And then I want to see you give it to others. That’s the greatest joy and gift you can give to me. The love of Jesus Christ is a giving love, it wants to give to others.

Paul writes in Ephesians 3:8: Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ.

You should most of all ask for more of Jesus Christ, Because Jesus is the greatest treasure of your heart, in your life. He is your crown, He is your all and your everything. Seek and ask for the treasures and riches of Heaven first and foremost. Because everything you gather here on earth will vanish, but whatever you gather in Heaven will last. Love Jesus with all your heart, and Ask God to give you the riches of Heaven, to give you the treasures that are in Christ Jesus, and it shall be given unto you. And when Jesus gives it to you, start giving it to others, everyone you meet, and Jesus will fill you even more. Ask, and it shall be given. Give, and it shall be given to you. Amen.