Your Father knows what you need, then why ask?

Posted on April 6, 2016 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

This post is Number 26 in the Sermon on the Mount Series.

In reading through Matthew 6, this evening I read two verses which raised a question. They are these:

“. . . your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray then in this way . . .” (Matthew 6:8b-9a)

Copyright: bialasiewicz / 123RF Stock Photo

The question is, why should we pray if God already knows what we need? It is not like I am going to provide God with a missing piece of data without which he could not make a good choice.

Also, when we look at the way that Jesus interacted with humanity, his behavior does not reveal a God who is reluctant to meet the needs of those who are seeking him. So the assumption in verse 8b is that God knows what you need and is more than willing to provide it. Later in the same sermon Jesus tells us that we are not to worry because God will take care of his people.

Why then are we to ask?

I think that we are to ask because through prayer, God grants us the dignity of participating in bringing about God’s will for humanity. He chooses to work through our prayers, even though he could accomplish his purpose without them.

It is a little bit like asking a 4 year old to help you paint the house. The little tyke will be excited about working with Dad, but won’t really contribute much that will benefit the house. Allowing the 4 year old to “help” grants him a dignity that he would not otherwise have.

Because God wants to be in relationship with us, he chooses to let us “help” him get his business done. He enjoys the fact that we come to him to ask for what we need.

Sometimes we are mistaken in what we think we need. But God, being the perfect father, will use the process of praying to shape our desires. Even when we ask for things that are not right for us, God will patiently answer our prayer. If it is not right for us, he will answer in the negative, but it is the correct answer.

I am thankful that I am ecouraged to bring my requests to God. I can do so knowing that even if what I am asking is wrong, he will make it right.

I’ll close with the first verse of an old hymn:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

WWJD?

I haven’t seen one in a while, but bracelets with the letters WWJD had some popularity at one time. The acronym stands for “what would Jesus do?” and was a reminder to follow Jesus in responding to a particular situation or question. I think that this is a worthy question to ask in any situation.

My problem is not with the theory behind the question, it is with the implementation. The problem lies in really understanding what Jesus would do.

Allowing God to be mysterious

As I have grown older, I have become increasingly comfortable with allowing God to be mysterious. This has relieved me of some of the pressure to provide explanations for particular events.

Waiting . . .

Recently, a news story broke that implicated many world leaders in hiding billions of dollars of money in off-shore corporations. In my country, trust in the government is at an all time low because many (most?) of them make decisions that line their own pockets regardless of the consequences. Our leaders have betrayed our trust […]

Why I Hate Religion – Reaction to a Reaction

A poem recorded on video entitled “Why I Hate Religion” has become very popular on YouTube. The video is well done and asks some important questions. A response to the video by Kevin DeYoung sparks some dialog about some points made in the poem. Watch the video, read Kevin DeYoung’s response and offer comment on this post. But most of all examine the claims of Jesus Christ.

What you build and how you build it matters to God

With 60% of young people walking away from the church, we must evaluate the foundation on which we build and how well we build upon it. The eternal destiny of the next generation is at stake and we cannot afford to continue with such a high failure rate. We must do better.

Pursue the reality beyond

For my generation, I would also offer the hope that it is never too late to return and see the reality that you’ve been ignoring. I must constantly remind myself that there is a reality beyond the thing that consumes me at the moment. I must, as the psalmist reminds me, “prepare my heart” to be conscious of the eternal. I must not let good things become ultimate things in my life.