Large Asking

Thursday, November 6 2014

John Newton, slave trader turned pastor and hymnwriter, believed in 'large asking' when it came to prayers. He encouraged many with the archaic words in this verse from the hymn "Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare" : "Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring, for His grace and power are such, none can ever ask too much."

His 'large asking' was no doubt motivated by people in the Bible who prayed big prayers. Abraham famously pleaded for mercy on behalf of the people of Sodom and the other cities of the plain (Genesis 18:16-33). Moses interceded on behalf of the people of Israel, asking God to erase his name from the book of life instead of destroying the nation (Exodus 32:31-32). Esther, risking her life, came before the king to save the lives of her people (Esther 5:1-8). The apostle Paul prayed that the Romans would experience "complete harmony" and that the "message about Jesus" would be known to all Gentiles (Romans 15:5-7, 16-25-27). He also asked that the Ephesians would be empowered with inner strength (Ephesians 3:14-21), that the Philippians' love would overflow more and more (Philippians 1:8-11) and that the Colossians would have a complete knowledge of God´s will (Colossians 1:9-12).

In each case God, in His sovereignty, responded with generous grace. He has extended a gracious invitation for us to ask big things of Him. Considering the costliness of gaining access to our heavenly Father (the death of His Son), we should remember and practise the words of Phillips Brooks : "Pray the largest prayers. You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but for wings." - Marvin Williams

Read
Genesis 18-16-33 : 
Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.
Then the Lord said , "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."
Then the men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham approached him and said : "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing - to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
The Lord said : "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."
Then Abraham spoke again : "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?"
"If I find forty-five there," he said, " I Will not destroy it."
Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?"
He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it."
Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, " I will not do it if I find thirty there."
Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it."
Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?"
He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."
When the Lord finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Hebrews 8:1 : The point of what we are saying is this : We do not have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.

Question to Ponder :
How do your recent prayers compare to the requests and petitions made by men and women in the Bible?
What will it take for you to bring your largest prayer requests before Him?

** Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Sept - Nov 2014 issue.