Tuesday, May 8, 2007
A local pastor told me about an incident that reportedly happened when a world-famous professional golfer was playing in Saudi Arabia. Apparently, the King was so impressed with this man's playing that he said to him, "I'd like to give you a gift of appreciation." Now this renowned golfer told the King that no gift was necessary; he just appreciated the opportunity to play in his country. But the King was insistent, not only that the golfer receive a gift, but that he could name any gift he wanted.
Well, after just a brief moment to think about it, he just said, "A golf club." He thought maybe the King would give him a golf club that had some gold or maybe even a jewel in it. Well, a few days later, a representative of the King came to the golfer's hotel to present the King's gift - an object that was only about a foot long, carried inside a leather pouch. Now, apparently this was going to be a fairly small golf club. Then the golfer opened the pouch only to discover inside a deed - a deed that made him the owner of a golf club, as in the hundreds of acres that made up the beautiful golf club he had been given!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "What to Ask a King For."
Now this famous golfer had one observation to make after this overwhelming response to his request. He said, "In the presence of a great king, you do not ask for small gifts!" How right he is.
Listen to our word for today from the Word of God. It's about the King who made all the other kings! Jeremiah 33:2-3, "This is what the Lord says, He who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it - the Lord is His name." Those are our King's awesome credentials. Now, based on who He is, God says, "Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
I'm reminded of a companion promise in the New Testament. Ephesians 3:20 identifies our Lord as "Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." Now I hate to say it, but in light of the kind of King we have and the kind of promises He's made to us, most of our prayers are pretty lame. We come into the Throne Room from which the universe is governed with our little "Dear God" ditties: "Dear God, thank You for this day, thank You for Your many blessings, forgive us of our many sins, help us with our many problems, and bless the missionaries, whoever they may be. Amen."
Our praying is often just so predictable, so routine, and that is an insult to the God who's invited us to come to Him for "no small gifts." When's the last time you really believed God for some things that are so big that only God could do them? Or have you been praying you-sized prayers, man-sized prayers, earth-sized prayers? We're guilty of really underpraying and undertrusting! When you pray, take a little time to focus on the God whose awesome presence you have just entered - the One who controls 100 billion galaxies! Do you pray like that? Let yourself be overwhelmed...not by your problems or your questions, but by the size of your Lord! Then pray in ways that are worthy of the great God you're with!
The hymn writer had it right, "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer." Remember, when you pray, you are in the presence of the King of all kings. Don't ask for small gifts!