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Do you know what you are asking for? Do you understand that what you’re asking for comes with more than what you think? There’s more to our requests than meets the eye. Everything in life has strings attached to it. If you ask for a promotion at work and get the promotion with a raise, don’t think there isn’t a trade-off involved. A higher salary translates into more work and responsibility.

I remember when we wanted to start our family and have children. We asked God for this blessing. Many of our friends were having children. They all made it seem so effortless. I was sure I would be the parent who could do it all: work, church, and family. It would be a piece of cake. All of the books and seminars about raising godly children raised my expectations. I would be the best, most patient mother! My child would eat only the best, prepared-from-scratch food. He would only be exposed to the best influences and grow up without as much struggle.

Now you know I got that wrong!

Potato chips and multivitamins

My children did grow up well, thanks to God’s grace and mercy! But there was a process to it. We faced many challenges as the kids grew up, but we made it. And I wouldn’t change having any of them. I would, however, change my expectations! 😂 ‘Cause you know that I wasn’t always patient, nor did I always give them food made from scratch. When number four rolled around, I threw potato chips and multivitamins at her.

If you know, you know! 😝

We seldom understand the full implications of what we are asking for. Our understanding is minimal, and this is where learning how to lean into God comes into play. Life never unfolds according to our expectations. There will always be good and bad surprises that interrupt our worlds.

No, we don’t know what we are asking for. Not one bit.

What and how to pray

Even in our prayers, we struggle to know what and how to pray. This is when praying in the Spirit comes into play. Our minds have a limited capacity for understanding, but God’s Spirit has no limitations. When we pray in the Spirit, we pray His perfect will. When we pray with our understanding, according to scripture, we don’t know “what to pray as we ought.”

Do you wonder if I lean toward that Pentecostal, Holy Ghost-filled experience? You bet I am. In the past, I tried to be a quiet Pentecostal. That didn’t work for me. The difference that receiving the Holy Spirit and praying in the Holy Spirit have made in my life can’t be ignored. I highly recommend connecting with the Holy Spirit – it will change your life. No, you won’t know what you’re asking for when you ask for Him. But unlike asking for things in the world that can bring unsettling outcomes, when you ask for the Holy Spirit, you will not know what you’re asking for but what you get will exceed your expectations. Your spirit will be connected differently to God’s heart. Your relationship with God changes for the better!

*If you can’t tell, I’m working on a post about the Holy Spirit. Stay tuned for more; it’s bound to be interesting!*

You do not know what you are asking for

In Matthew 20:20-25, a mother asked if her sons could sit with Jesus in the Kingdom. Jesus’s answer?

“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

Matthew 20:22 ESV

I can picture Jesus groaning at their answer. He replies in the following verses that they would (as His disciples) drink from the same cup of suffering. But I read Jesus saying between the lines, “You have no idea what it means to drink this cup.”

I encourage you today to get close and stay close to the Lord. Lean into Him and hear His heart about what you’re asking for. Even when we ask according to the will of God, there will be surprises along the way. I had no idea when asking God to send me to Africa that I would have to learn multiple languages. Neither did I know that when we got to Africa that I would have to be a main player in official church business. This meant I would have to write and rewrite constitutions, learn accounting, and much more. I had no idea what I was asking for.

But I wouldn’t change a thing. When you ask for something according to God’s will, which He reveals to you as you grow in relationship with Him, He gives you the strength to do His will.