“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11)
“The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Helper, the Guide, the very presence of God living in you.
This is the great promise of God in prayer. We ask God for gifts in prayer, and he gives us the Giver. We ask God for supply, and He gives us the Source. We ask God for money, and He doesn’t give us cash; instead, so to speak, He gives us the bank!”
David Platt, Radical
Ever tried sleeping in a recliner for an entire night? People in the “shoulder” club know what I’m talking about — the part where the doc tells you to properly support your shoulder and prevent the possibility of re-tearing, you must sleep in a recliner for anywhere from 3 – 5 weeks, depending on your physician. Do you know what that, accompanied by night-time pain and swelling, lead to?
That’s right. Insomnia. Or, if you’re lucky, sometimes just restless sleep. Two nights ago I had one of the worst cases of insomnia I had had in months, possibly years, and I’m a lifelong ‘troubled sleeper.’ I sat awake and alone in the dark and asked God for sleep. But since we’ve been studying David Platt’s book in Sunday school, I remembered what David said. I said, “God, you might not choose to give me sleep, but I know you’ll give me some good gift instead. Like comfort. Like company.” And that was the case. It took another hour or more for sleep to come. But comfort came with the prayer.
Yesterday, I asked several people to pray for my sleep. Right before I went to bed, I asked my 15-year-old son to pray for sleep. He surprised me with this response: “How much do you want?” I looked at him. (I was sort-of low-balling my prayer, just hoping for some sleep. He wanted to know how many hours. I said, “How about 9. With only one break for pain pill and potty trip.” I went to bed at 9, slept like a baby till 1:45, made my one trip to the bathroom, took my one pill, and went right back to sleep. I slept till 6, when I heard my husband’s alarm.”
Hmmm…makes me think more about prayer. As we said before, it’s not all about asking for things from God. But that’s part of the life of someone who claims radical dependence on Christ.
What good gift do we think God might give us when we pray?
