It Never Hurts To Ask

It Never Hurts to Ask

Acsah

Read: Joshua 15:13-19

Sherri gritted her teeth as she started up the stairs to tuck her sons into bed. Same routine every evening—make dinner, clean the kitchen, throw in a load of laundry, help with her fourth-grader’s homework, give her toddler a bath, read a bedtime story, then back to the kitchen to pack lunches for the next day. Is it too much to expect a little help around here? She seethed as she passed through the den. Tom lay asleep on the couch, with the newspaper spread across his chest and the television blaring.

Acsah didn’t hesitate to ask for what she needed. She already had a brave husband who had won her hand by conquering a city, and a generous dowry of land from her father. But since the land was arid, Acsah urged her husband to ask for additional land with springs for irrigation. Othniel seemed reluctant to ask for anything more, but as the only daughter of a loving father, Acsah felt comfortable in making the request. When she met her father, Caleb, she got off her donkey as a sign of respect. “Give me another gift,” she boldly requested. “Please give me springs of water, too.” Her father granted her request without hesitation.

Most women find it difficult to ask for help. Often, we think that our husbands and families should know what we need without being told. Unfortunately, people (especially men) can’t read our minds. How often have we made our lives harder than necessary because we wouldn’t ask for something? Why do we choose to nurse our resentments instead of making requests?

We also sometimes hesitate to ask God for things, although he urges us to bring our requests to him. Like Acsah, we have a loving Father who wants us to feel comfortable about asking him for what we need. If our requests are legitimate, we can never ask for too much from him.

You do not have, because you do not ask God.

James 4:2 (NIV)