And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. {Matthew 11:12}
If you want an answer you have to be bold with God. You can’t mince words with Him. You can’t be shy to Him. Tell Him what you want and you will get it.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. {Matthew 7:7-8}
There was a woman in the Old Testament that had a son after being barren for many years. God had given her a son through the prayer of Prophet Elisha. She is known as the Shunammite woman. She housed Elisha for a time when he would travel by her place. She felt bad for him and would offer him food when he would come by. One day she told her husband to create a room so that they can take him in when he passes by their place so he can rest. Elisha wanted to return her kindness and told her that she will embrace a son by the following year. She told him not to deceive her. Not to lie to her. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. Her husband was old and there was no way she could have a son now. Back in the time she was living in, a woman had no rights to property. Once her husband passes away the property goes to the next male relative or family member of her husband. She’s left with nothing unless the family shows compassion on her. It was important for her to have a son, because he will become the heir when her husband passes on and she will not be left destitute. True to Elisha’s prophecy, she bore a son the following year.
But not long after, her son died. He was out hanging out in the fields with his father when he suddenly felt his head hurting him. He started holding his head and saying, “My head! My head!” His father told a servant to carry him into the house to his mother. So the servant did. The Shunnamite woman carried her dying son in her arms, and he was there until he died at noon. The Bible tells us that the Shunnamite woman laid her dead son on Elisha’s bed and furiously rode with her servant on their donkeys probably about two hours away to where Elisha lived. When she came to Elisha she caught a hold of him by his feet and wept to him and said to him, “Did I tell you I wanted a son? Did I ask you for a son? Didn’t I tell you not to deceive me?” Clearly she was in pain. She didn’t want to get her hopes up all those years, and now that she has a son finally, God takes him from her. That is just not right.
To make a long story short, God restored her son to her through another prayer of Elisha. He lived to be a grown man and stayed with her, even after her husband had passed on from the scene.
You know sometimes we get afraid to be ourselves to the Lord. We have a need, we want something, but we hide it from Him. We keep it to ourselves for many crazy reasons instead of just coming out and talking to Him about it. Jesus tells us,
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. {Matthew 11:12}
When you want something you can’t be shy about it. You’ve got to take it by force. You’ve got to demand it from God if you really want it that bad. It’s not about whether you’ve been good or not. It’s not about if God is pleased with you or not. Sometimes we gauge our confidence in coming to God by our righteous acts, or whether or not we’ve checked all our “do’s and don’t’s” that we’ve created for ourselves in our relationship with God. But the thing is, we’re always going to come short before God. God is always going to be holy and pure and more righteous than us. We can never compare ourselves to God’s holiness and purity. We will never even come close. But God’s love for us is abundant. It’s not conditional. It was there even before we came into being. It’s a given like the love of a mother to her child. Whether the child is good or not, she will always love her child. God didn’t come and die for us because we are good and righteous. He’s not going to respond to us because we’ve been good and did everything right. He’s going to respond to us according to our faith in Him, and according to our desire for Him to do something for us. He’s going to respond to us simply because He is good and we need Him.
Remember the widow in Luke chapter 18, who kept pestering the judge to avenge her of her adversaries? The unjust judge didn’t want to help her at all, but finally he gave in to her request because he didn’t want to be wearied by her. The Lord tells us after relating this story,
And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth? {Luke 18:7-8}
See, that’s thing God is looking for from us – faith. Faith great enough in His love for us that whatsoever we ask in His name it will be given to us. He wants us to have faith in Him, in His grace, in His mercy and most of all in His love for us. Sure we have faith that God can do anything. So many of us can say, “Yeah, I know God can do anything…” But then our hearts say, “But will He do it for me?” Ah, that’s what He is looking for from us, faith in His love for us that yes, He will do it for you, for me, and for anyone that has faith in Him. Faith that no matter what happens, we will continue to look to Him and believe in Him. That He will reward those who diligently seek after Him. And that He will give to those who do not give up asking Him. The Bible tells us without faith we cannot please Him. If we’re going to come to Him we have to have faith. Have faith in His love for us, in His grace and in His mercy. The Bible tells us, that His compassions fail not, that they are new every morning. Prophet Jeremiah penned it this way:
It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. {Lamentations 3:22-24}
It is not about our holiness or our righteousness or how good we are that God is good to us. It is simply because He loves us. He loves us so much that He died and gave His life for us. It is because we need Him that Christ died for us. It is because we cannot be holy, righteous or good on our own. That’s why He came and gave His life, so that through Him we can become holy. Through Him we can become righteous and good. Through Him we can find our forgiveness and our salvation if we will but confess our sins to Him.
So be bold with Him. He loves us so much. There is nothing He will not give to us if we would only come boldly to Him and have faith in Him and in His love for us.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. {John 16:24}
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. {John 3:17}
If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it. {John 14:14}
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him? {Luke 7:11}
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. {Joshua 1:9}
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your boundless love upon me today. Thank You so much that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Thank You that You love me until the end.
Please Lord Jesus, save me my from my unbeliefs and insecurities and help me to have faith in Your great love for me. Help me to know that Your love is great if I would only trust in You, and try You again and again by calling upon Your name and talking to You about my every need. You are always there, ready to hear my prayers. Help me to come to You and be bold in my requests with You. Give me faith Father in Your love for me and to be strong and very courageous in my confidence with You for You will not ever turn me away.
I ask all these things Father, in Your most wonderful and gracious name, Jesus. Thank You, Father. Amen.
Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/winter-fog-hill-snow-cold-tree-6918954/
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