Our Scripture for today is Matthew 7:7.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
No list of Bible verses on prayer could be complete without this scripture. At its heart it seems to say, just ask and he will grant your request. However, I want to introduce you to a new thought. Here it is: There are times when you ought not to ask God for something in prayer. When might that be? When he has already spoken on the subject.
Consider Mark 10, Jesus told the rich, young ruler “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor…Then come, follow me.” – Should the young ruler have said to Jesus, “Well, let me pray about it?’ Of course not! He already had a word from Jesus about what he should do.
When Jesus told the lame man, “Arise, take up your bed and walk,” then prayer for a decision was not needed.
When God told Joshua to march around the walls of Jericho, then there was only one thing to do. March! One might pray for strength, but not for a decision.
The lesson is simple but powerful: prayer is vital, but when God has already made his will known, obedience is essential.
In other words, — do not pray for guidance about getting drunk, stealing, committing adultery, lying, or any other clearly wrong actions. When God has already spoken on these subjects, prayer is unnecessary—just obey.
I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.