Asking Big from God

Rev. Shine P. Thomas

It is that time of the year again where one ponders over the year gone by and takes time to reflect over things that could be accomplished and otherwise. What was your New Year resolution and what did you ask from God this New Year? Do you limit God by asking small things or do you ask God big things according to his plan for your life? God desires to bless us abundantly—not with a surplus of material goods, but with spiritual fruitfulness. For that we have to ask expectantly.

Are you “asking big” from God? Many times I myself do not ask big. I might ask God for deliverance, an affordable house, the salvation of a relative, healing etc. God very much wants us to go to Him with petitions like these but if we never raise our requests to the next level, we’ll miss the fullness of what God wants to accomplish in our life. “Asking big” involves lifting our eyes from this world to see our lives from God’s perspective. God did not create us to focus on our careers, raising successful children, or having enough money. No, these things aren’t really bad in themselves but God does not want us to be satisfied in just material things. Ultimately, such things can’t fill our hearts with satisfaction and contentment. In other words, they are no match for knowing and doing God’s will.

Every one of us needs to ask, “What great thing does the Father want to do through me?” It is not “What great thing do I want to do for God?” Our plans must first come from the Lord’s heart, or we will pursue our own needs, however spiritual it may appear. Only when we know the Father’s plan for us can we most effectively ask Him to make our lives extraordinary. When was the last time you allowed yourself to wonder about the Lord’s plan for your life? For this you may need to spend some time with Him in prayer, asking what He wants to do through you to impact your family, neighborhood, church, workplace, and the world. The father has definite plans for every child of God and it is up to us to get to know what the Father wants us to do. I think God wants us to ask our spiritual needs like a child, believing anything is possible. When children speak about their ambition they don’t typically worry about how their jobs will be or how tough it will be to succeed. They don’t fret over how much money they’ll make by pursuing their dreams. Remember how confidently we told people what we wanted to be when we grew up? With a similar attitude, we can take a faith-filled, yet realistic look at our abilities, gifts, and talents and raise our requests according to God’s standards. We can discover the Lord’s direction through a Bible verse that comes to life for you, through words His Spirit speaks to your heart, or through a mental picture or vision of what He’d like you to do. After allowing yourself to dream, be sure to evaluate your goal to be sure it’s feasible. Once you’re sure the dream is realistic, begin by taking small steps toward it. Someone who feels is called to be an evangelist could first start sharing with your friends what Jesus is all about, someone who wants to be a worship leader can start attending the choir classes, someone who wants to be active in church can start with spending more time with the leaders of the church etc. Little victories over time prepare us for God’s best. Remember, rarely will the Father shower a large blessing upon someone unwilling to follow Him in small steps of service and obedience, but when we start taking initiative in small things God will use those seemingly unimportant steps to prepare us for the fulfillment of His long-range plans for our life.

Do you know what God’s big dream for your life is? Ask Him in your prayer to reveal it to you, start working towards it, and then boldly anticipate that He will accomplish it in your life. Come on child of God, God has a definite plan for your life, let us find out what his best plan is for you, and do not limit God by asking less.

Have a Blessed New Year in Christ.