Make your request

Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”

(Nehemiah 2:4, NKJV)

We have people that we look up to and would want to meet some day.  Some are celebrities whose art work and music we enjoy while others are authorities in different fields that leave us to wonder about their creativity. Some of us have ancient characters that we admire including some apostles of Jesus whom we identify with. Children are best at expressing excitement regarding someone that they would want to meet, for example, father Christmas. Given a chance, most young children would wish to just sit on his lap and enjoy the moment.  If they ever meet father Christmas, they know exactly what they would want to ask for with a clear expectation of their request being met.  It is also true that some adults will struggle in identifying an individual that they wish to meet, least of all what they would want to ask for.

Our reference verse comes from a conversation between Nehemiah, the cup bearer, and king Artaxerxes.  This question by the king led to the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem by Nehemiah.  This was not the only time that a king asked this question.  King Xerxes asked queen Esther the same question, promising to give her half his kingdom (Esther 5:3).  Queen Esther knew what she wanted from the king, which eventually led to the saving of her people.  We also read of king Herod being entertained by Herodias daughter, and in joy he asked her what she would want.  We note again that even in this case the king offered the young girl, half of his kingdom (Mark 6:23).  Herodias advised her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist, and following her ask, the king though reluctant obliged. Beloved, it is interesting to note that when the king popped the question, those he asked had clarity of requests that they made and the king in turn, give in to their ask. As we find these examples and others in the word of God, let us be reminded that what has been written in the bible is for our learning (Romans 15:4).  We therefore will be advised to look into what these recorded stories ask of us.

Brethren, rarely will some of us get the chance of meeting a king or a head of state, but just in case it happens, what would be your ask?.  Getting to meet an authority is not to be taken lightly, it is an opportunity to whisper a request which could change a life or a society.  Unfortunately, many are rarely prepared for such moments and so when the occasions present themselves, we miss out on the possibilities of the opportunity.  While we might never meet an earthly ruler, we have an open invitation to meet the King of kings through prayer, glory to God.  The question still remains, what is it we are presenting as our ask to Him?  He is God and no good thing does He withhold from those who live right before Him (Psalm 84:11), so what is it that we ask for? Going back to our examples above, we note that Herodias request to Herod originated from a wrong motive and was not comfortable with the king, the beheading of John the Baptist. The fact that the king gave in to the request does not make it right.  That means that even as we make our requests to God, we need discernment.  God answers when we pray according to His will (1 John 5:14).  The fact that we have a chance to get our hearts’ desires does not mean that we present a laundry list to God, we need His wisdom.  As we approach God in prayer, we are encouraged by His word that as we make our requests known to Him, He in turn gives us His peace (Philippians 4:16-17).  Beloved, what is your request?

Thoughts:

How has the King of kings met your requests?

Are there opportunities ‘to ask’ that you have missed?

What truly is your heart’s desire?