Ask!

How do you respond when God asks you a question?

Recently, I was struck by three instances in Scripture when God asked someone a question. There are many more, but these three caught my attention.

The first instance occurs in 1 King 3:5 when, in a dream, God asked Solomon:

What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you.

Solomon had just been crowned king over all of Israel by his father, King David. As he is about to take the throne, God appears to him and asks the above question. Imagine yourself in Solomon’s shoes.

How would YOU respond to this profound question? (You can read Solomon’s wise response in 1 Kings 3:6-10.)

The second case is recorded in Esther 5:3. Esther finds herself in a challenging situation. After discovering a plot to annihilate her people, she is persuaded to approach the king to save them. The danger is that she risks her life by entering the king’s presence without an invitation. Nonetheless, she takes the risk, finds favor with the king, and he responds:

What do you want? I will give it to you, even up to half my kingdom.

Speaking through an earthly king, God asks the same question He did of Solomon: What do you want?

She risked everything and, in so doing, saved her people from destruction.

How would YOU respond to this remarkable question?

The third question, in the form of a statement, comes from the lips of Jesus.

You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask for anything in my name, and I will do it (John 14:13-14, NLT).

How would YOU respond to this astonishing statement?

In all three passages, God gives us an open invitation to ASK. So, what do YOU need to ask Him for today?

Do you need healing? He is your Healer - Jehovah Rapha.

Do you need financial breakthrough? He is your Provider - Jehovah Jireh.

Do you need peace? He is your Peace - Jehovah Shalom.

Do you need a miracle? He is your Miracle Worker - El Shaddai.

What will you ask for today? Whatever your need, He is the answer. Maybe you’ve asked many times and have been discouraged because you haven’t received a response. Like Esther, take a risk. Ask again. Ask in faith. Ask, believing. Ask, expectant. Ask, receiving.

I believe we are in a God-moment when He wants to respond to your Ask. Isaiah 30:19 promises that He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.

And Romans 8:32 assures us:

For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give.

I encourage you to put your faith in the One who made this beautiful promise, and one more time… ASK!