As Christmas draws near, my children’s Christmas wish list keeps on getting longer. No, they are not asking for expensive things, just specific little things here and there, plus candies and chocolates we do not normally give them.
Like kids and their wish lists, we, as followers of Jesus, are also being encouraged to come up with specific prayers to our Heavenly Father. While God knows what we ask even before we tell Him, boldly asking for what we need, is a manifestation of our great faith.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
One character mentioned in the Bible, who prayed earnestly and specifically, was Jabez. Jabez was not a prominent person in his community. In fact, his name is associated with pain, as his mother explains, and yet he turned out to be a very prayerful man.
“Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.” 1 Chronicles 4:10
Jabez’s humble prayer was also much like the Bible character Hannah’s fervent, specific, and consistent prayers. Hannah was barren for a long time, and she kept on praying to the Lord for a child. She prays so intensely that the priest even mistakes her for a drunk woman.
“In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” 1 Samuel 1:10
And indeed, Hannah’s prayers were answered. And she did not forget to thank the Lord and as well as her vow.
“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.” 1 Samuel 1:27
And while surrendering our lives to Jesus does not automatically mean that all of our specific prayers will be answered, we are being encouraged by our Messiah Himself to not lose heart and just keep on praying.
He told parables that will inspire us to remain persistent in prayer. The one about the unrighteous judge, who gave in to the widow’s tireless prayer, was one of the examples He gave us. We can read the story in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 18.
“Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged,” Luke 18:1
Jesus wants us to be bold in prayer. And the only way we can do that is when we have a personal relationship with Him. It is much like a child asking his parents about a specific special need or gift. My children can ask me specifically what they want because they know that I am their mother, that I can consider giving them what they are asking for, and if it is in our budget and it will not harm them, and can make them happy, then that gift might just be under our tree come Christmas eve.
We in turn, can boldly ask God what we wish Him to do for us in prayer. If we know we have surrendered our life to His son Jesus, If we are secure with our relationship with Him, we trust in His plans, we live our lives to please Him, and we are happy to align with His will, then we will not feel awkward in saying specific and persistent prayers.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on Samuel 1 and Luke 18:1-8 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you have things in your heart you dare not pray for? What keeps you from praying those prayers?
Conversation with the Lord: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for wanting to hear from us, and for giving us a chance to tell you what is in our hearts and minds. Give me the grace to continue praying in faith my Lord, continue building a relationship with you, and the confidence to boldly pray specific prayers that are hopefully all aligned to your will. Amen.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
