Asking For Stuff

When Jesus was asked (in Matthew 6) about how to pray, before He launches into one of the most famous prayers in human history, He explains that you don’t have to go on and on and on in order to get something out of God. His actual words are;

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.” – New American Standard Bible

When Jesus goes on to describe how to ask for things in His model of a prayer, we can see exactly what He means and that He expects us to realise that when we ask God for something, we don’t have to try and persuade God into giving us what we are asking, but rather, just ask;

“Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” – New American Standard Bible

I once heard a preacher say that he is often guilty, in his prayers, of trying to explain things to God in terms He’s understand. I agree and would take it further by saying that sometimes, when we pray, we can fall into the trap of trying to emotionally blackmail God into giving us what we want.

Imagine the requests above in some of our evangelical churches today;

“Oh, that you would open the windows of heaven and allow not your children to starve for lack of nourishment. That you would even to us, give a crumb of your holy bread, opening up Your hands that we may take but a piece and thank you from a deep joy. For yes, each day we do ask that you would do this and that even today, we would have that which you would have for us, and even give to us that we may receive with thanks from Your generous hand”

And that’s only for “give us this day our daily bread”!!!

Of course there’s room for flowery language, especially in praise and worship as your heart seeks to express that which is happening within it. Go ahead! Fill your boots! Worship and praise and jump and dance and boogie and clap and write your own improvised psalms! Why not!? That’s cool.

But what I believe one of the things is that Jesus is saying here is that when it comes to asking God for things, you do not have to impress Him with elegant prayers, but just spit it out and leave the rest to Him.

Jesus could have tried to play a huge mind-job on God in the garden of Gethsemane when He asked if it could be possible for Him to be spared being killed on a crucifix, but even there, He kept His prayer simple and straight to the point. He didn’t try and dodge around the subject so as to trick God into granting Him something, even though (and this could be a controversial point) Jesus was asking for something He knew He wanted but wouldn’t get;

“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will”

As I read the Bible, I become more and more certain that God just wants us to be honest. Whether we want to ask Him for something serious, or stupid, if it’s in our hearts, He wants to hear it because then He can deal with it and we will be better off for it.

Short, simple, to the point and honest.