Daily Devotionals

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

Devotional: November 13th

“Ye have not, because ye ask not.”

A verse like this raises an interesting question. If we have not because we ask not, what great things are we missing in life simply because we do not pray for them?

A similar question arises from HYPERLINK "javascript:" , ““The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” If this righteous man doesn’t pray, then does it not follow that little is accomplished through him?

The trouble with most of us is that we do not pray enough, or when we do pray, we ask for so little. We are what C.T. Studd called “nibblers of the possible instead of grabbers of the impossible.” Our prayers are timid and unimaginative when they should be bold and daring.

We should be honoring God by praying for great things. In John Newton’s words,

Thou art coming to a King,

Large petitions with thee bring;

For His grace and power are such,

None can ever ask too much,

When we do this, we not only honor God; we enrich ourselves spiritually. He loves to open heaven’s treasures to us, but today’s verse suggest that He only does it in answer to prayer.

It seems to me that this verse answers a question that we often hear. The question is this: does prayer actually move God to do things that He would not have done otherwise, or does it merely bring us into harmony with what He would have done anyway? The answer seems clear: God does things in answer to prayer that He would not have done otherwise.

Our imaginations can run riot in two directions as we ponder this. First, we can think of the tremendous achievements that have come as a direct result of prayer. Borrowing the words of HYPERLINK "javascript:" , we remember those who “subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

But we can also think of what we ourselves might have accomplished for Christ if we had only asked. We can think of the many exceedingly great and precious promises in the Word which we have failed to claim. We have been weak when we might have been powerful. We have touched a few lives for God when we might have touched thousands or even millions. We have asked for acres when we might have asked for continents. We have been spiritual paupers when we might have been plutocrats. We do not have because we do not ask.