“Ask, and ye shall receive.” John 16:24

Have you been praying, and God hasn’t yet answered? Let’s look at some keys. (1) Maybe you’re expecting a lot from God but not much from yourself. Perhaps He is asking you to work harder by utilizing the ingenuity He has given you. Remember, God’s promises are never an excuse for laziness. Elijah was in a devastating drought when God said, “Go to the brook Cherith. I will send ravens to feed you” (see 1 Kings 17:1-4). Elijah could have replied, “Lord, I’m exhausted! Can’t you send them here?” Instead, “he…did according to the word of the Lord” (v. 5 NKJV). Ask God if there is something you should be doing, and when He tells you – do it. (2) Perhaps your prayers are not explicit enough. Doesn’t God already know what we need? Yes, but He wants to hear it from you. “You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it” (James 4:2 NLT). God wants us to persist in prayer: “Ask and keep on asking…seek and keep on seeking…knock and keep on knocking” (Luke 11:9 AMPC). (3) We fail to realize that God wants to meet our needs – in His time. “But what if my problem gets worse?” you ask. Don’t worry; it will never be too big for God to resolve! From time to time, He waits in order to do something even greater. Lazarus was sick unto death, but Jesus didn’t respond immediately. He waited so He could raise him from the dead (see John 11:1-6, 43-44). We’re inclined to think our request is God’s best answer to our need, even though His Word assures us, “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

The Word for You Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from Celebration Enterprises, Inc. Copyright © 2024