In a famous passage from C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew, two of the characters are discussing the behavior of Aslan, (the Christ-character in the story):
“Wouldn't he (Aslan) know without being asked?' said Polly.
'I've no doubt he would,' said the Horse (still with his mouth full). 'But I've a sort of an idea he likes to be asked.”
“He likes to be asked. . . ” C.S. Lewis surely got this idea from the scriptures:
In Psalm Two, one of the great Messianic Psalms, we learn something vital about prayer:
6“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession. (Psalm 2:6–8)
(You will remember that the voice from heaven at Jesus’ baptism is a direct fulfillment of this Psalm.) But notice verse eight where the Father is addressing the Son:
“Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage.”
Did you get that? The whole purpose of anointing Son and setting him up as King was to give Him supremacy over the nations, and yet the Son Himself is told to ask!
Notice in the following examples, that God tells people what to ask, and then insists that they actually go ahead and do it:
To Jeremiah He says:
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. (Jeremiah 33:3)
To the Israelite Captives in Babylon:
7But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:7
To disciples whom Jesus is sending out into the harvest:
37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37–38
To the disciples in the garden:
41Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41
To Israel:
37“Thus says the Lord God: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. Ezekiel 36:37
To Job’s friends:
8Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” Job 42:8
I confess that for many of the early years of my Christian life, I just assumed that if I lived a faithful life, God would automatically provide what He knew I needed. But in the passages above you can see that God wants more from us. He wants us to ask.
The scriptures indicate many things that God clearly wants us to ask for, but we can go a step further. When we set aside time for prayer we can invite God to tell us what He wants us to pray for, and then we can wait quietly for him to speak to our hearts. And, oh yes! Once He’s brought things to our hearts we need to ask!
John assures us:
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14–15
James puts it very bluntly:
“You do not have because you do not ask.” (James 5:11)