Are You Hesitating to Ask God?
Your Nightly Prayer for Apr. 25, 2025
By Lynette Kittle
TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE
“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”—Romans 8:32
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Have you ever been in conversations about prayer, where it seems like others believe there are limitations in what we can ask of God? But didn’t Jesus encourage, “Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24).
Knowing human hearts better than anyone, Jesus knew what He was saying when He included the word “anything” in His words, understanding what individuals may ask. Even so, still, in John 14:14, Jesus urged, “You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it.”
As well, in Matthew 7:7, He encouraged, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
In the classic sitcom “King of Queens,” Holy Mackerel episode, Doug (Kevin James) and Carrie (Leah Remini), discover prayer and start practicing it on a regular basis. But, when Doug hears some of Carrie’s prayer requests, he starts scolding her, explaining to her what things are considered appropriate to ask God for and what things aren’t in an attempt to limit what he considers her self-indulgent prayers.
Although Carrie believes she can ask God for anything, including shoes, Doug disagrees, believing prayer is reserved solely for important world concerns, because he believes God is too busy to answer personal concerns.
Passions flare and their heated discussion on what is appropriate to ask God and what isn’t, leads to a “prayer-off,” between Doug and Carrie, where he’s trying to “out-pray” her requests in order to cancel what he considers her selfish prayers, deeming her asking as inappropriate, and ultimately forbidding her to pray at all.
But when it comes to asking God, James 4:2 makes it sound like maybe we’re not asking Him enough, explaining, “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.”
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Dear Father,
My heart is deeply grateful for Your extravagant and precious gift of Jesus. Forgive me for holding back on my requests to You. Cleanse my heart and mind from all unbelief, thinking You’re not interested or care about my needs. Help me to understand that I can ask You for anything and that You don’t put limitations on what or how many times I can ask You. Teach me to turn to You first for my needs and to rely on Your provisions more than on myself and those around me. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. Are you hesitant to ask God for more? If so, examine yourself to see where your hesitancy in asking Him might be rooted, whether in teachings you’ve read or heard or other people’s opinions and experiences. Consider how they have influenced your asking God.
2.. What things are you asking God for lately? Are you holding back on asking for things you or someone else has convinced yourself He would never answer?
3. Read and study biblical passages on prayer, asking God to teach you more about prayer and asking Him for the things you need and desire in life.
Photo Credit: ©Thinkstock/ijeab
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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