Can I ask God for too much?

Matthew 7:11 - If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

I have heard people say that they would call themselves blessed if God never answered another prayer or did another thing for them because he has been so good. While I understand the sentiment is some ways, I believe the thought to be rather misguided. Many times people say this when they are going through a trial and the answer to their prayers has not come quick enough. Whether consciously or subconsciously the person voicing this thought is trying to make sense of the fact that a certain prayer has not been answered. The only logical understanding of such a thing is to conclude that God knows best and owes me nothing.

But is this thought Biblical? Can I really say that God has given me so much that I don’t have a right to ask him for anything else? While I realize that God is sovereign, I do not believe such a position fits with God’s nature or within the framework of Biblical teaching. Allow me to explain. I am God’s child and he has promised to be a father to me. Being a father comes with certain obligations and responsibilities. While earthly fathers can and do disappoint and/or neglect their children, God is much bigger than that. He is the ultimate, perfect father who never goes back on his word and always keeps his promises.

I would like to pose a question to you? If an earthly father fed his children one day and did not feed them the next could he be called a good father? Certainly not! In fact, he would be guilty of neglect for starving his children. An earthly parent has a responsibly to provide for his or her children’s needs each and every single day. Can we expect any less of the gracious God of heaven who has promised to be a father to all those who put their trust in him (John 1:12)! After all, it was Jesus who asked how an evil (imperfect) man could be expected to provide for his children and God not do even more.

Many times people will say that God owes them nothing when a certain prayer has not been answered. In my experience, this usually centers on the illness or death of a loved one. Because we know that God can (and often does) heal people we can become disappointed when a loved one is not healed. I believe I have seen Christians disheartened over what they consider to be an untimely death more over than anything else I can name. We know that there are scriptures on divine healing in the Bible (Isaiah 53, James 5:14). Yet not everyone is healed when they are prayed for. Although difficult to accept, this should not surprise us because the scripture is also replete with promises that every human being will eventually die (Hebrews 9:27). While we might like it to be otherwise, God does not promise to heal everyone.

There are some things that God does promise, however.

·      The scripture is replete with promises that God will never forsake the righteous (Psalm 37:25).

·       God promises to be a friend to the friendless, the father, the downtrodden, and anyone else in need (Psalm 68:5).

·      God promises to give direction to those who earnestly seek him (Psalm 32:8, Psalm 30:21, Proverbs 3: 5-6).

·      God promises to reveal himself to those who seek him (Deut 4:29, Jeremiah 29:13).

·      God promises to feed, clothe, and care for those who trust in him (Luke 12:22-31).

·      God promises peace of mind and spirit to his children (Colossians 3:15, Galatians 5:22).

·      God promises to give us wisdom when we ask without scolding us for asking (James 1:5).

These are just a few of the many promises that God has given to us unequivocally in his word. He will not go back on these promises because they are set in his word and his word is forever settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). When God makes a promise, he does not break it.

One final promise that God makes is that we can come boldly to his throne to find grace and help when we are in need (Hebrews 4:16). God’s invitation for us to approach him with our requests and needs is open-ended. Like any good parent he may thankfully discard the foolish requests that we make. Yet He never gets tired of us coming to him and we cannot wear out our welcome.

This post is not a permission slip to have an entitlement mentality. I understand that our God is the Lord of the universe and we must approach him humbly and with reverence. Perhaps a healthy dose of fear would even be appropriate. Yet we should not come to him afraid that he will be tired of hearing from us. Nor should we adapt the attitude that we have no right to ask for anything since he has been so good to us in the past. His word has given us the right to present our needs to him continually. God gets no glory out of his children doing without the things that they need. Rather he delights in continually providing for and sustaining us. Like any good father, he would not think of feeding us one day and neglecting us the next.

I believe God wants his children to live with a confidence and boldness that he will provide for 100% of our needs 100% of the time. This does not mean we will always receive what we want. It does mean we can trust God to supply what he knows we need. This understanding is something of far greater value than having a God who is like a genie in a bottle. I am content in the fact that God knows my needs and invites me to bring them to him so that he can provide for me as he thinks best. He is the perfect father and will never let me down.

Sincerely,

Spanish Pastor Jones

Kissing the Preacher

For several years I was asked to preach regularly for a man I’ll call Pastor Brown. The entire church family became very dear to us and we count the Brown family as close friends. One night I had taken the pulpit and was about to read my text when the Brown’s young daughter, leaned over to my wife and said, “I just realized that you get to kiss the preacher.” My wife responded in turn, “I also do his laundry.” The girl's reply was, “You just took the fun out of that thought.”

This scenario, though humorous, is probably fairly typical of what many Christian young people think about the ministry. It is easy to have a romantic notion of what the ministry, and indeed life itself, is all about. As a young person I was guilty of this as well. All I could imagine was the excitement of traveling from place to place and preaching. I felt the call of God on my life from a young age and could hardly wait until I was old enough to sit at the preachers’ table after church and share in the talk.

I had ideas of traveling the world, preaching large revivals, and seeing thousands converted. I certainly did not envision having to work a secular job during the week or driving for hours to preach on the weekends. I had no idea of the times I would look over my notes on the way to a service while my wife drove. After ministering on a Sunday night we take turns driving home through the night so that we can work the next morning. This is typical for many evangelists.

My purpose in saying this is not to put any negativity on the life of a minister. My wife and I both love the life we lead and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I believe every one of my minister friends feels the same way. The point is that the minister, whether pastor or evangelist, is just as human as the next man. Their children get sick, their cars break down, and they get headaches and stomach bugs. Preachers have to work and their wives have to do laundry. Life is not all fried chicken and peach cobbler. As in anything else, life can be stressful at times.

There are many young people who start out life with grandiose ideas of fame and fortune. When life doesn’t go according to their fairy tale ideas it is easy to become bitter and disillusioned. The saying about the grass being greener on the other side is true for everyone, minister and saint alike. I truly believe the key to contentment is learning to take the good with the bad. When one expects everything to always be perfect, he or she is quickly disappointed. If one allows for the fact that life isn’t perfect, he will find himself much more at peace with the realities of an imperfect world.

Are you one of those people who has a romanticized concept of what life should be like? Are you constantly feeling unsatisfied and wondering why? Perhaps its time to take a long look at your expectations. If they are unrealistic, you will never be content. Life will never be perfect on this earth but happiness is what we make it. None should be more content than the Christian. There is never a day when we who are born again do not have something for which to be thankful. No, life is not all about kissing the preacher. Sometimes you have to do his laundry. Just be thankful you have soap.

Yours Truly, 

Spanish Pastor Jones