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)

“Please Pray for Me”

I guess I’m a curmudgeon, but there are few things I dislike more than postings on Facebook where people are soliciting prayer.

• Please pray for me.
• Please pray for a special need.
• Please pray for my mother (husband, son, daughter, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, etc., etc.)
• Please pray for _______.
• Please pray that I win the lottery.

Well, maybe that last one is fictional but you get the idea.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t begrudge anyone their faith in God and prayer, but I find it difficult to understand why such requests need to be broadcast on Facebook. Not only that, in many instances the requests are vague and undefined so even if you were a person of faith, you have no idea what you are praying for. Seems to me a better way would be to contact one’s believer “friends” directly through messaging so details can be provided on the exact need.

Often the prayer request posting is followed up by one in which God is praised for answering prayer. Again, I wonder why this must be a public announcement. (In cases where there is no follow-up posting, does it mean the prayer wasn’t answered?)

OK. Rant over.