Are you asking God to bless you? I generally don’t. It seems a bit arrogant and a little presumptuous. In my effort to be humble and to recognize God’s sovereignty, I tend to shy away from outright asking God to bless me. Plus, I have a problem with a theology based on a “name it and claim it” faith or a theology steeped in the notion that faith breeds success. I have met too many saintly poor people to believe God works that way.
However, I have been impressed lately that God does want to bless us and he wants us to ask for it. Some examples:
- Nehemiah asked God to make him successful before the king so that he might go and rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. God granted his request.
- Elisha asked for a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit. God granted his request.
- Jabez asked to be blessed and to have his territory increased. God granted his request.
Jesus clearly shows us that when we walk with God, he will grant us the desires of our heart. If we are walking with God, God leads. However, he often leads us places that are beyond our experience and ability. When God gives us a vision that we know we cannot accomplish, we should ask for him to help us…to bless us in it. The act of asking acknowledges the supremacy of God and can be a very humble act. The act of asking places us in the hands of God.
What are you asking for?
Amen to that, brother! We hear too much of a “Prosperity Gospel” being preached, people like Joel Osteen speaking about nothing but the good things. I have, indeed, met the saintly poor who are living a call God placed on them to fight for those in poverty from a position of poverty. Yet, Deuteronomy 15:4-5 says, “However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.” What Osteen doesn’t preach is that we have to be in the will of God for Him to bless us. It’s similar to what Luke 6:38 says: “Give and it shall be given unto you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” We have to give and the Lord will give back. If we don’t ask the Lord, as Luke 11:8 says, “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,” we won’t receive. Yet, as we need to be in the will of God, as Luke 12:48 says this: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” God will give us what we need if we are where we need to be to receive it. We have to take what we have and do things with it as well. Nehemiah was given favor. Why? So he could sit down and do nothing? No! He was supposed to rebuild the wall. Elisha was given his request. Why? So he could just be an average, every day Joe and die that way? No! He was supposed to carry on Elijah’s work. Jabez was given his request. Why? So he could keep on his same old mindset? No! He was supposed to change how he viewed himself to be a blessing unto others. We 1) have to be in His will or asking something to put us into His will, 2) have to ask out of obedience, and 3) have to do something with it. God definitely wants to bless us. We just have to show Him that we are willing to be obedient to ask, be in His will or at least be ready to be, and to actually be willing to do something with the blessing. Excellent post… got me thinking in a major way!