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Summary: This piece explains how we should be intentional with the questions we ask our Father. Not as a matter of policing ourselves, but as an invitation into greater, mindful that our questions matter.
Premise: Our questions reveal the underlying assumptions of how we see ourselves, others, and Him. Those who ask receive, and higher quality questions naturally bring higher quality responses.
Hope: To provoke us all into greater consideration of how we converse with our Heavenly Father and ask higher, that we may see higher.
In John 14-16, Jesus summarizes His ministry to the disciples and prepares them for their own, capturing everything they’ve seen and everything they will see. Throughout, Jesus repeats Himself SEVEN TIMES saying “whatever you ask for, it will be granted.” Primarily, so that our joy may be full. Well received. Indeed, we partner with God and bring forth from our faith in our prayer. As a Good Father, He delights to bring forth the desires of our heart, for every good thing comes from God. So whether that good has a “Christian ministry label” such as revival and spiritual growth to a personal matter that is just “for us,” we are aggressively invited to bring it forth.
Tony Robbins is famed for saying, “The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the quality of the questions you are asking yourself.”
Let’s pose this to the questions we ask our Father.
Better questions get better answers. Want greater responses? Ask Him greater questions.
In her work, “Talk,” Elizabeth Stokoe notes that how we design our questions affects the quality of service we receive. She even quotes, “Ask and you shall receive”… ha. Most noteworthy, “The way in which we design questions can reveal how entitled we feel to receive the services we are asking for.” Better questions conceal more indirect questions left unanswered, because the answer is assumed.
In her example, “What is the wifi password?” assumes the answer to:
- “Do you have wifi?”
- “Can I have access?”
- “Is there a charge?”
- “What is the login information?”
It’s not a matter of being more efficient, it is a matter of assuming standing and access.
In the same way, let’s consider what better questions we ask when conversing with the Father. Again, not as a matter of policing ourselves for the “right way to ask.” But as an invitation into greater. Higher questions are weapons of themselves, and keys to unleashing more of the Kingdom.
James has two direct things to say on the matter.
Assume Our Standing Before Him and His Goodness Towards Us
Higher questions assume the truth of our holiness in Christ and His nature in great love, goodness, and faithfulness.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8)
Riddled throughout James, Jude, and other epistles are references to those that are unstable, wobbling in the conviction. We can all relate. The short of it all, we MUST be confident in His love towards us, we MUST be confidence in the finality of the cross and how we reign with Him. While there is grace for our insecurity, there is much greater for us. It’s beneath us. There’s so much more to get after.
Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need. (Hebrews 4:16)
The Alpha and Omega! Boldness! The Oval Office in the White House is known to bring an intimidating aura. It should. The leader of the free world leads there. And yet, Jesus Christ reigns over that office. And we are welcomed with favor, standing, and an open invitation before the throne of the God Almighty. We have access to all spiritual things as we reign with Christ (Ephesians 1-2).
Providing a personal example, when I’ve been exploring opportunities to minister to others either in the body or walking the streets of NYC, I would be asking Him:
- “Where are you?”
- “What are you doing?”
- “What are you saying?”
- “Should I say something here?”
- “Do you really want me to say something to them?”
And while these questions are allowed, and even the right questions in some situations, if that’s all we are asking, there is much greater to have. At some point the question became “Can I …?” and I experienced an unleashing of confidence.
The question, “Can I…?” brings forth a power over fear, insecurity, and leads forth with force to advance the Kingdom.
“Can I…?” already assumes that what He has given me (i.e., by the cross, the desire in that moment, the prophetic word, etc.) is sufficient to move. It assumes that He has given me something, that I am allowed to move forward with power, and that He will move when we do so. It assumes the answers to:
- “Are you saying something?” which is always yes
- “Where are you?” which is always right with you, and
- “Should I say something?” which, for me, approaches Him with a servant-not-son mentality +
a subtlety baked-in performance orientation +
hoping to potentially get out of doing something I believe I should because I’m nervous/fearful, whatever
When I ask, “Can I say something?” before even receiving a prophetic word for someone, it assumes that I’ve been equipped, He is present and moving, and that I am standing before Him as son. This is only one example, while the reality of this application can ripple throughout our prayer life and personal life with others.
BETTER YET, it changes the leaning of my spirit from my back-foot to my front-foot. I’m leaning in, ready and willing to engage and approach, just waiting for His go. It assumes I am willing. I didn’t say I was, I didn’t check in with my feelings on whether I was, I assume that I am. As soon as I feel a creep of fear of being awkward, noticed, judged, whatever, I can slice it down with that question like a sharp blade because I choose to override with an assumption that I am here for Him and about what He is about.
It also naturally aligns the positioning of my heart with His. Connecting with Him and confirming the orientation of His heart. I’ve avoided situations that would have been forced, because while I had a word of knowledge/prophecy, while I had a desire to do something, it wasn’t the time or the place.
We are sons, not servants. While we aren’t on a leash, there are times we aren’t occupied with direct ministry as we are in a church setting or when we are intentionally looking to minister elsewhere. Though, we should always be ready and willing to do so, because we advance the Kingdom of Heaven everywhere we go.
- What do priests do? They minister.
- What do prophets do? They prophecy.
- What do beloved sons of the Most High God do? They reveal the love of the Father.
It’s who we all are. We should expect it.
Seek The Fountain Where All Things Flow
You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures. (James 4:2-3)
The context of James’ letter is to a church that had an evident issue with lust and a life revolving around “me.” Yet, even in a healthy relationship oriented towards the Father, there is room for “me.” In Matthew 7, Jesus presented that the Father does not provide snakes for loaves of bread, what Father would? And He is a Good Father. You can ask for a bike. He is a Good Father after all.
The thing here is, when Jesus says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you,” (Matthew 6) He points out that we are already covered. Everything we ever need is known by Him and His goodness is towards us. But even greater is the reality that having something without Him, is having nothing.
We do not ask, so that we may be satisfied. We ask, because we are.
As C.S. Lewis wrote, “He who has God and everything else, has no more than he who has God only.”
And in this spirit, knowing we have all that we could ever ask for, seeking to being made content solely by the love and immeasurable nature of God, we ask for others, for ourselves, because that is the Kingdom.
The Call To More 