Ask Me

I was reading Psalm 2 the other day and a wonderful truth popped out at me. This particular psalm is one of the “Messianic psalms”—one that tells about Jesus. It also contains verses that were set to music in Handel’s masterpiece, The Messiah, so I always come away from a reading of the psalm with a (literal) song in my heart.

Psalm 2 tells us about Jesus in His role as Judge and Ruler of the earth. Revelations 19 gives us the same picture, and gives us a clue that the events in this psalm may indeed be descriptions of the “end times” events of the book of Revelation.

But that isn’t what struck me as I read the psalm this time. What I found astonishing, and at first it didn’t seem quite right, was a somewhat shocking statement in the midst of this grand declaration of Jesus as the God-ordained ruler over the nations, and the very Son of God Himself.

Here in verse 8, God the Father speaks to His Son, saying,

“Ask of me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.”

Did you catch the phrase that surprised me? Here is God the Father telling God the Son to ask Him for something!

Now, to put this into proper perspective: the Bible is clear from cover to cover that God exists in three parts, or Persons. This is what theologians call “the Trinity.” But it isn’t as if there were three of God, or that God is three separate entities. As Deuteronomy 6:4 reminds us, “The Lord our God is one Lord.”

As a Trinity, God has three Persons—distinct, but not separate, and those three Persons are always one in complete, unfailing, and infallible unity one with another.

As a Triune God, the Father, Son, and Spirit have fellowship between them, and the Bible often gives us glimpses of that fellowship—as in Psalm 2.

So… what’s the point of all this? Simply put: God delights to be asked.

He doesn’t need to be asked, (that’s a whole other theological topic for another day) but here we see this example within the Trinity of asking and answering.

The gospels are full of statements made by Jesus about asking God the Father for things, but perhaps the one that gives us the most insight in the context of Psalm 2 is Matthew 7:

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and Ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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?” (vv.7-11)

When we ask our Heavenly Father for His “good gifts,” He will always give them. Now, He may withhold the specific thing we ask Him for at times, knowing that instead of a fish, it will turn out to be a serpent, but as Elisabeth Elliott once stated, even God’s refusals are mercies. God delights to give us what is best for us, but will withhold anything that will do us harm.

I must admit that I all too easily fall into the habit of coasting along through my days, talking to friends and family about specific needs or problems, but forgetting to take those things to the Lord. But that’s not how this Christian life is meant to work.

God wants us to ask for the things we need! And not only does our asking highlight the goodness of our Heavenly Father, it also removes worry and lets us enjoy and display for others the peace of God as we humbly trust Him to answer. Consider Matthew 6:33-34:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

We serve a God who wants us to ask Him for things—and delights to respond with the answer that is best for us. God is glorified when we ask and receive according to His will, and our faith is strengthened as we live out our dependence on Him.

So how about you? Is there anything the Holy Spirit is calling you to ask God for? Run to Him with it, and rejoice in the certainty that He welcomes your request!

 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 

Philippians 4:6-7