‘If God were to give you whatever it was you requested, what would that one thing be that you would ask him for?’
I had some very interesting answers.
The responses tell a lot about us and where we are in life.
I remember when I was asked the very same question, but it was directly to my
heart from God at the time. I could not answer immediately as it was both
challenging and profound, and I did not want to make any mistake with my
answer.
I read a verse that said, ‘No good thing will God withhold from them that walk uprightly.’ I began to ask myself what would be a 'good thing'? It was some days before I was sure enough to bring my conclusion.
Caleb the mighty warrior during the time of Moses, asked for the
mountain that was promised to him.
Solomon the King asked for wisdom and understanding, to
govern the people justly.
King David asked for a clean heart and a right spirit, to
live a life that pleased God.
The woman of Samaria asked for life-giving water, so that
she would not thirst again.
The writer of Psalm 119 asked to be taught and led in the
ways of God.
Blind Bartimaeus asked for sight so that he might see.
All of these people asked for something that touched on
their insufficiency, or inadequacy. It also reflected the true longings of
their hearts to be more than they were, reach higher than they could otherwise ever
go, and to be more like what God had called them to be.
Without any doubt, all these requests were born out of a
passionate desire and urgency that went beyond any generalised or vague wish.
I sent out the same question just yesterday to all the contacts on my phone.
For most of the ministers, they behaved themselves well
and said they would ask for wisdom. That
was not surprising as they knew that Solomon had asked the same; and of course, some of
them would recognise that because Solomon only asked for wisdom and understanding,
and not gold or riches, God gave Solomon everything he had not asked for as
well.
One minister said he wanted to be rich. Fair enough; he said
it as it was for him.
I do pray that those who gave sincere answers
from their hearts will discover that God is a gracious, merciful and loving Father
who calls us all to repent and believe that there is nothing too hard for him. He is also a Father who loves to give good things to those who love him.
However, let me direct some words to those who responded with certain specific answers.
God says that if you turn to him with all your heart and
believe on Jesus Christ, you shall be saved. The ‘repenting’ bit is to turn
around from where you are headed: to turn and face a Saviour who hung on a
cross to save the most wretched of sinners, shed his blood to cleanse us from
all sin, and give us right now, right here, eternal life.
Whoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
This means that according to the faithful and unbreakable promises
of God, if you will believe on Jesus with all your heart, you are saved,
forgiven, and become a child of God.
‘It shall come to pass that whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved!’
Make time somewhere today, turn off your phone, and find a
quiet undisturbed place to ask God for salvation and the assurance that you
belong to him. Confess your sin and ask God to give you the power to live as he
wants you to; and be ready to turn away from any situation that might hinder
you from following him.
Ask him to cleanse you in his blood and give you of his Holy
Spirit according to the promises in the Bible.
Then thank him for saving you, and go tell someone what you have
done: for the Bible says that if you believe in your heart, and confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus, you shall be saved.
I pray that faith will rise in your heart right now, and you will know God for yourself, and discover that he is all you need. He is the best friend you can ever have, and he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Get yourself a Bible and read it every day, and talk to God in a way that you would talk to the very best and respected friend you could ever have. That is what prayer is.
'Whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' 'For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.' (John 3:15-17)
''For whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)
'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord com.'
And it shall come to pass, that whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (Acts 2:17-21)
'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:38-39)
'If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, Whoever believes on him shall not be ashamed.' (Romans 10:9-11)
God bless you.
JGM 2022
