Just Ask

“Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” (Ps 38:21-22 AV)

David’s concern here is not unique to him.  He is not so much in doubt as to whether God can help him as he is God will help him.  He is not pondering the omnipotence of God.  He is considering the plan or divine will of God.  Not ‘can’ God help him, but ‘will’ God help him?  That is a struggle of which ever child of God endures.  We are not in doubt of the limitless power of God.  He has created all that we see.  He can make something out of nothing.  He is the governor of all that He has created.  It is all subject to His divine will.  We wonder whether God will do something.  Oft times, our doubt comes over the attribute of grace.  Will God show grace?  Will God care?  Will God supply our need?  Will God continue to show compassion.

There are several reasons that cause us to wonder such a thing.  But I think the one that causes us the most doubt is our own wickedness.  Even though we confess our sins and repent of them, there is a small part of us that feels there is something which we must do in order to earn God’s grace or favor.  There is a small part of us that sees our failures as the closing of God’s benevolence for the rest of our earthly lives.  We can never measure up to the holiness of God and therefore, God will never show us favor.  If that is the case, we do not understand the grace of God.

We do not deserve, nor can we earn, the grace of God.  Otherwise, it would be no more grace.  Is it the fact that we cannot earn or nor do we ever measure up that makes grace what it is.  I think of our missionaries and the humility it takes for them to constantly ask for the assistance of God’s people.  There are some that ask with the attitude of entitlement.  Others ask with false sense of humility.  These are few and far between.  The majority ask because they are humbled and know they need to ask in order that God might meet their needs through the resources of God’s people.  These are the heroes on the field.  These men and women can teach the rest of us something about grace.  God often meets their needs in dramatic and miraculous ways.  They have their needs met because they truly understand the nature of God’s grace and are not too proud to ask for it.