"Ask and you will receive . . . "

I went to RVCC on Sunday to visit with my sister, Sara, and was very moved by the sermon as well as the worship. Some of my friends and I have been doing a study on prayer on Tuesday nights, and I have been learning so much about prayer. On Sunday, we sang "You said" and it has stuck with me since leaving Church. That, in combination with our study and the sermon, has prompted me to write this post, hopefully to inspire others. Here are the words to the song (I still haven't figured out how to put songs on my blog . . . )

"You said, Ask and you will receive Whatever you need
You said, Pray and I'll hear from heaven And I'll heal your land
You said Your glory will fill the earth, Like water the sea
You said, Lift up your eyes. The harvest is here, the kingdom is near
You said, Ask and I'll give the nations to you. O Lord, that's the cry of my heart
Distant shores and the islands will seeYour light, as it rises on us"

We have been reading in our study about asking and receiving from the Lord, as long as our requests are aligned with His will for us and if we come with a repentant and humble heart. My requests have always been fairly self-centered. However, this last week, I read about Solomon's prayer. The Lord told him to ask Him for whatever he wanted and he would have it. Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom in leading His people, just like his father, David had. The Lord said, "Since your prayer was so unselfish, I'll give you that and a lot more!" (My paraphrase, of course). All of these things, in addition to Roger's sermon series titled "It's NOT about me!" have really encouraged me to change my prayers. After reading about Solomon, I prayed that the Lord would give Jeremy and I the wisdom we need to lead the foster children we will have in our home to a relationship with Christ . . . or at least plant a seed. I have been led to "ask for the nations" . . specifically East Tacoma, foster children, my own child, family members and friends and anyone who does not know Christ. I want that to be the "cry of my heart" more than any other prayer request that is on my mind and heart at any given time. When I was singing the song on Sunday, I thought about my dear friend, Katie, who is in Mauritania (northern African country that is primarily Muslim) . . . she is truly asking daily for the Lord to give her the nations so they can "see His light."

My prayer is for my heart to be changed so that my first prayers are for the salvation of others and that my heart would CRY for the nations.