Why Don’t We Ask God for What We Want?

Part 3: MY PROBLEM IS TOO SMALL

Recap
Part 1-Ask God even when we know he already knows.
Part 2-Take a breath to clear chaos from our prayer.

My prayer requests include a friend who:

• Serves as the sole caregiver of a spouse with Alzheimer’s;
• Provides the primary financial support for a large extended family;
• Grieves the loss of a parent;
• Fears visiting her birth country even though she is a naturalized U.S. citizen;
• Works several side gigs just to make ends meet;
• Attends rehab after a major car accident.

With friends, nay, the world, with such dire needs, I don’t want to distract God with my achy knee. God has bigger problems to solve.

Failure to Ask #3: Our Problem Isn’t Important Enough for God

I mentioned previously that I like to walk at a brisk pace for exercise. Lately, I’ve had to slow down because of pain in my knee, even stopping to massage it. Until recently, I never considered asking God for relief. Why? Because I considered my achy knee the natural outcome of aging and therefore of no consequence to God.

Have you thought that your problem was too small, unimportant, or insignificant for God? Let’s consider how that limited thinking is arrogant and hinders the relationship with God.

Uncaring God

The Bible tells us that God cares for each of us; he knows the hairs on our heads. Yet, we don’t trust this caring Father to be concerned about our “little” problems? This is the God who formed us in our mothers’ wombs. This is the God who values each of his creations, including the sparrows bought for sacrifice. Can we sing in one breath, “God will take care of you,” but say in the next that God isn’t concerned about the totality of our being? When we fail to take our “little” problem to God in prayer, we are denying God’s care for us. If we believe God’s word, then we believe our smallest concern is of importance to God.

Supervising God

I remember asking my supervisor for assistance in setting priorities for my numerous projects, because she knew where my projects fit into the organization’s overall mission. We’ve prioritized God’s projects when we conclude our situation is unworthy of his attention. We are acting as God’s supervisor by deciding what he should and should not consider…by deciding for God what he should prioritize. Think about the arrogance of that and laugh. God asked Job, “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?” (40:2) When we decide that our issue is too insignificant for God, we are trying to manage God’s workload. If we believe that God is all-powerful and all-knowing, then we should place our “little” problem on God’s altar. God can decide how and when to intercede.

Minimizing God

I argue that the concept of “multitasking” is bogus; we don’t multitask. We flit from task to task, but as we flit, we only focus on one task. (We can debate that if you wish.) However, God is not human. As the one with “the whole world in his hands,” he can do what we can’t. When we decide that our problem is not worthy of God’s attention because he has so many other “bigger” problems to deal with, we are denying every characteristic of God—his omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence. Do you believe that God can know what happens to the sparrow while maintaining a count of your hairs while working it out for your cousin’s marriage while listening to the corporate prayer of a nation while healing your body while ________? When we decide not to ask God’s help in our “minor” worry, we are negating who God is. God is the great “I am.” Consider all the adjectives we use to describe God. These let you know that our God can do it all—focus on the world issues and our aches and pains.

Restore the Relationship

When we decide our problem doesn’t warrant God’s attention, we create a barrier, pushing God away. We have usurped God’s role in our lives, determining that we know best. We limit God in our lives. Is that what we want?

If we believe that God is

then we must present ALL our cares to God, even those we deemed inconsequential.

Stop doing God’s job! Stay in your lane: pray and obey.

Reflection

Ask yourself: Do you really want to impose limits on God in your life? What have you neglected to ask for because you thought it was too small for God’s concern?

Add your thoughts in the comment section below.