“I just asked! I just asked!” Those words echo to us from a TV commercial urging us to ask our doctor about a particular drug. Of course, they don’t tell us what the drug will do for us, but I’m certain my doctor would be very surprised if I asked him for that prescription.
God, who knows our needs and desires even without our asking, will never be surprised by our requests. This is not to say that all our requests will be immediately granted. In this telling, the fig tree was withered the next day. A mountain can indeed be washed into the sea, but it could take many millennia.
We trust that God listens to our requests, and we claim this promise to answer prayer. So let’s just ask!
Dear God, help us to remember to go to you with our requests. We give thanks for your promises to guide us and grant answers to our prayers. Amen. —