Please, God

Maybe your dad was always there for you. Maybe he took you school-supply shopping, hugged you when you cried, and told that ex of yours that he or she messed with the wrong kid. Or maybe your dad was deeply flawed. Maybe, through his words and actions or his silence and neglect, you learned that you’d better not ask him for anything. Or that you can ask all you want, but nothing’s going to change.

This side of Heaven, all parents have flaws. But if your perception of your Heavenly Father is based solely on your earthly example, your view of God is skewed.

Your Heavenly Father doesn’t look at you and see the dishonest thing you did at work last year, the harsh word you said to your spouse last night, the thing you don’t even want to think about that happened twenty years ago. When your Father looks at you, He sees His beloved, perfect child. Forgiven.

Because you are His child, nothing stands between you and Him. He wants you to talk to Him. He wants you to ask Him for things. He wants to bless you.

Philippians 4:6 urges you to “let your requests be made known to God” (ESV). Your prayers aren’t useless. They aren’t bouncing off the ceiling. They aren’t being ignored. Your perfect Father happily hears, knows, and answers them because He loves you. Just ask.

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Ask Confidently

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with

confidence, so that we may receive mercy and

find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

You don’t need to be timid or self-conscious when you bring your requests to God. The Bible says to approach Him with confidence. You can walk before His throne confidently because He has promised to help you when you need Him.

Excerpted with permission from The Weekly Prayer Project, copyright Zondervan.

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Your Turn

God wants an intimate relationship with you, and He loves to answer prayers specifically. What are some of the things that you usually lack the confidence to ask or the things that may seem too small to ask? Come share on or blog.