YOU ASK NOT, SO YOU RECEIVE NOT - BRIDGET ELESIN

I had this unique encounter on Sunday in church. After the service, i was looking for one of my pastors and saw my younger sister and a girl talking, i left and went about my business.

I came back to the car and my sister walked up to me, and that was when i noticed that the girl with her was crying, i asked her what the problem was, and i was told, she lost her phone and this particular phone, was recently given to her by her mum as the previous one she had, got stolen..i was angry and wondered why people would come to church to take properties belonging to others ..the first phone got stolen/misplaced at an all night prayer meeting and now this in church....(Story of church thieves, blamed like the devil for all bad/ misplaced things!lol). 

I tried to help her trace her movement to see if she dropped it on her way to church..but she said she entered a bike, so she was not sure it dropped in a bus..any ways, i just asked her if we could pray to get her phone back and she said yes, so i said a simple and short prayer that "God, i do not know how she will get her phone back but you God knows how and please do it and make the person that has the phone restless..i also quoted a verse of scripture that afflictions will not rise up a second time"..she thanked me and left.. 

Later in the evening at home, my sister ran to me excitedly, telling me that her friend's phone had been found, and it was seen in Ogba, somewhere in Lagos, by a bus driver that traced her and gave her back the phone..Boy, unbelievable! i was amazed and overwhelmed by the news and then the truth hit me.. 

God is mindful of us..and many times we do not carry our problems or challenges to him in prayers, so we are stuck with them..some other times, we pray and we choose the prayers He should answer and leave some out, so we see half answered prayers..what that taught me was, one, there is power in agreement, as i agreed with her in prayers and God gave us the desires of our hearts, two,God wants us to bring everything in our lives to Him in prayers and He expects us to believe Him to answer us and finally that He has answered all prayers said to Him, but because we have not seen the expected results to our prayers just yet, does not mean He has not answered our prayers... 

For me, that simple testimony was a confirmation of so many things in my life, as i have had struggles recently and have been asking God if He is no more a prayer answering God..though i have seen Him in actions as regards answers to my prayers, but as usual, Oliver Twist..i wanted more..and this confirmed that God is God all my Himself and He is a prayer answering God that is mindful of us.The bible verses below confirms this truth.. 

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 

Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 

James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 

Philippians 4:6 Be careful [NKJV: anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 

Let us pray- Heavenly Father, you are a prayer answering God and your word says so, so today, i ask that you move in my life and answer my prayers, that i have made to you in the past and even now according to your perfect will, meet me at the point of my needs and prove your words in my life as a prayer answering God. Help my unbelief O Lord in Jesus name amen.