Ask Him Again

Today on Facebook, I saw a “share” that my granddaughter (a Christian) had posted for her “friends.” It was a composition entitled Ask Him Again.

As soon as I read the first few words …

I know, I know, you’ve already asked Him a million times, I see those eyes rolling. But today, ask Him a million and one. Yes. ask Him AGAIN.

My immediate reaction was … WHY?

WHY must a believer “ask Him again”?

And again.

And again.

Even up to a “million and one” times!

Is God too busy to take care of the request when you ask the first time? Or is he so occupied with running the universe that it’s necessary to shuffle you into a queue? Or maybe he had an earache that day and his hearing is off?

Of course, believers will have 1001 reasons why their god is making them “wait” when, in fact, they are simply trying to mitigate the silence that ALWAYS accompanies prayer requests.

I’m reprinting some excerpts from the post simply to illustrate the desperation that comes with “waiting” for the reply that will never come.

I know, I know, you’ve already asked Him a million times, I see those eyes rolling.
But today, ask Him a million and one.
Yes.
Ask Him AGAIN.
Ask Him again for that child to come home.
That marriage to be healed.
That mountain to move.

Ask Him again for that friendship to mend.
That work to begin.
That end-of-tunnel light to appear.

[…]

Ask Him again for what you need.
For what you want.
For joy in the sorrow.
Help in the struggle.
A sip of living-water in the heat of your schedule…
and the time to just sit at the well, amen?

Ask Him again.

[…]

Ask Him again for all that seems lost and all that seems nowhere even near the city of possible…
and ask Him believing He can.

Yes.

Ask Him again.

While persistence may be a virtue, it’s important to keep the following in mind:  

[P]ersistence should not be mixed up with perseveration, which is following the same method again and again, even if the method clearly doesn’t work for you. It is important to keep trying, but it is equally important to not do this “blindly” and in a “rote/mechanical” manner; that will only ensure a pattern of failure. (insbright.com)