{"id":2739,"date":"2016-02-22T11:08:05","date_gmt":"2016-02-22T16:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/?p=2739"},"modified":"2016-02-22T11:08:05","modified_gmt":"2016-02-22T16:08:05","slug":"wishing-is-not-praying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/2016\/02\/wishing-is-not-praying.html","title":{"rendered":"Wishing is not Praying"},"content":{"rendered":"

In prayer there is always an ask which makes the matter inter-personal. My desire, even if that desire is simply to be heard, or to express my gratitude, must be addressed to a Person<\/i>, otherwise I\u2019m only ruminating, daydreaming, whining\u00a0or wishing. Wrapping prayer in an \u201cask\u201d reminds me I\u2019m addressing the Only One who can make any real difference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider these promises from Jesus:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/i>Ask<\/i> and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who <\/i>asks<\/i> receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened\u201d<\/i> (Matthew 7:7,8).<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Have faith in God,\u2019 Jesus answered. \u2018I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, \u201cGo, throw yourself into the sea,\u201d and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you <\/i>ask<\/i> for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.\u2019\u201d <\/i>(Mark 11:23,24)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you <\/i>ask<\/i> in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may <\/i>ask<\/i> me for anything in my name, and I will do it.\u201d<\/i> (John 14:12,13)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you remain in me and my words remain in you, <\/i>ask<\/i> whatever you wish and it will be given to you.\u201d <\/i>(John 15:7) \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf two of you on earth agree about anything you <\/i>ask<\/i> for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.\u201d <\/i>(Matthew 18:19) \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBut,\u201d I\u2019m tempted to counter back, \u201cWho am I to nag God with my petty requests? God is much too big to bother about ______ (fill in your gap). He\u2019s in charge of galaxies a billion light years away. What possible influence can my \u2018ask\u2019 have on decisions God makes for running the universe?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Honest answer? Who knows? But that doesn\u2019t change the fact that God requires an ask. I can\u2019t get my head around this wonder, but somehow God is able to factor my ask into his sovereignty. I don\u2019t understand much about electricity, but I can flip a light switch. God challenges me to ask and I can comply even if I wonder why.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflection<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

What are you wishing for? Wishing is actually a flip-side to worry, and worry is anchored in a half-broken worldview that is more than half-akin to atheism. Wishing keeps you focused on what you want changed instead of The One who can change things. Wishing is passive. So, today, be proactive. Begin with your wish but don\u2019t stop there. Take hold of Jesus\u2019 words and turn that wish into a humble ask, a prayer. Don\u2019t stop until you\u2019ve made it quite specific. And write it down. As you bring it all to God you may feel a bit sheepish. Actually, you should feel sheepish. But that\u2019s good: he\u2019s your Shepherd!<\/span><\/p>\n

Response<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFather, you have given me the gift of desire. I choose to take you at your word, that you want to hear my desires spoken in the form of an \u2018ask.\u2019 I come leveraging the rights and privileges of Jesus because otherwise, I would not belong anywhere close enough to you for my words to be heard. But I am here, trusting that you have given me this amazing gift of access. I am here to ask. Here goes…\u201d <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In prayer there is always an ask which makes the matter inter-personal. My desire, even if that desire is simply to be heard, or to express my gratitude, must be addressed to a Person, otherwise I\u2019m only ruminating, daydreaming, whining\u00a0or wishing. Wrapping prayer in an \u201cask\u201d reminds me I\u2019m addressing the Only One who can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,15,7,4,25,3,1],"tags":[354,1619,1566,1617,1616,1618],"class_list":["post-2739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-bible-prayer","category-daily-prayer","category-god","category-jesus","category-prayer","category-uncategorized","tag-answered-prayer-2","tag-athieism-and-prayer","tag-key-to-answered-prayer","tag-prayer-vs-wishing","tag-prayer-vs-worry","tag-real-prayer"],"yoast_head":"\nWishing is not Praying<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/2016\/02\/wishing-is-not-praying.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wishing is not Praying\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In prayer there is always an ask which makes the matter inter-personal. 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