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ONCE ASKED;TWICE THANKED
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How many times have you asked God for the same things, prayed the same prayers, and pleaded the same cause? Once, twice, half a dozen times? If you were anything like me, it would be too numerous to count...at least until, once again; God gave me a revelation.
If you've read any of the previous "IN A WORD" articles, you know he has to do that a lot. He can never just whisper in my ear. He has to knock me upside the head. That hasn't changed...even knowing this.
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The word, prayer, and its various forms are mentioned 166 times in the New Testament alone. There are over 15 passages in the New Testament that relate directly to our believing that we receive what we ask for in prayer. I guess God knew a lot of us would need to be knocked upside the head.
To me, the sheer number of references would indicate something pretty important. And if so many passages tell us that we need to believe in order to receive what we ask for, then why do so many of us continue to ask for the very same things over and over? If you truly believed you had something and were about to receive it, why would you keep asking for it?
Jesus puts it quite plainly in James 1:6-8: But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. He is double-minded, unstable in all he does.
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I think there has been a lot of common misunderstanding concerning continued prayer and I think some of it has come from the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:3-8. I also believe a lot of Christians have run up against the term "pray continually". I too thought this meant that we should pray constantly for what we asked for. I learned I was wrong. After much searching...and asking, God led me to the understanding of the relationship between continual prayer and thanksgiving.
Yes, we ought to pray constantly...but not for the same thing. We need to pray all the time for the things that come up in our daily lives, but when we ask, we need to ask the one time--in Jesus' name (of course) and then we need to believe in our hearts that we have what we ask for. In other words to be fully convinced of this fact. And we are not fully convinced if we have to keep asking. This is where faith comes in. The Bible defines faith as this: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see: Hebrews 11.
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I know that sometimes we feel the need to do more while we are awaiting the physical manifestation of our prayer, and there is something you can do. This is where thanksgiving comes in. You can thank God continually for the very thing you asked him for. This is a Biblical fact. In almost every instance in the Bible that deals with continued prayer, it is almost always accompanied by thanksgiving, as in Philippians 4:6: Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 1:4: I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. Ephesians 1:16: I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Thessalonians 5:17: Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Thessalonians 1:2: We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. Colossians 1:3: We always thank God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. Colossians 1:9-12: We haven't stopped praying for you and asking God to...giving thanks to the Father. Colossians 4:2: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 2 Thessalonians 1:3-11: We ought always to thank God for you, and rightly so...with this in mind we constantly pray for you. 1 Timothy 2: I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone. 1 Timothy 4:4: For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 2 Timothy 1:3: I thank God whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Philemon 4: I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers.
The preceding scriptures are but a few--some of which have been taken from and shortened due to the length of each, but the gist and the passages are there if you should like to look them up for yourself (always a good idea). As the X-files so aptly puts it: Trust no one.
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In conclusion, I find myself returning to the title that has become my faithful reminder, Once asked:twice thanked...and may I add, always receiving.
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by Je' Leites
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