But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. Jude 1:20-21 (MSG)
In our Bible Study group we are studying prayer. I think as Christians, we forget all the things God says about it. I’ve had people tell me their stuff is not important enough to pray about. I’ve heard people say that God doesn’t answer. We feel that we can’t ask for really, really big things as if God has a limit on what he will do for us - for the people he loves more than life itself. Or maybe we think we don’t deserve it.
I love today’s text because it says that as you pray “keep your arms open and outstretched, ready.” Imagine it. You are standing (or kneeling if you prefer) with your arms open and outstretched as if you are about to receive a ton of answers. You are in a ready stance. Primed to receive the answers promised to you by the God of the Universe! Expecting to receive a reply.
Then imagine it! God, leaning over with his bucket of blessings, his pail of promises, his plethora of plans ready to pour them out in response to your prayers.
Wait. What’s that? You didn’t ask for anything? You didn’t pray? Isn’t it so sad that we have a God that wants desperately to bless us with his love and goodness but we missed out because we believe Satan’s lies? We believe that we weren’t good enough. We believe that God doesn’t listen and that he doesn’t answer. And worse yet, we believe he doesn’t love us.
How much are you missing because you aren’t asking? God wants so much to be in a relationship with you. It is behind everything he has done. Stand up! Stretch out your arms and believe! God is ready and waiting for you to ask.