2 Kings 13:19 – Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”

James 4:13 -You do not have because you do not ask.

Father, your invitation to ask for anything – anything at all – is astounding. It’s astounding because you invite me into your presence at all. I shouldn’t have an entry into your throne room, but you invite me in to be with you and to ask for anything, anything at all. It’s astounding because you invite me to ask for anything, anything at all. There are no limits on what I might ask of you and ask from you. You don’t put boundaries on what I might pray about. This should embolden me to ask for anything. And yet I don’t. Neither did the king of Israel. The prophet invited him to pray about the destruction of his enemies, but he wasn’t bold. He was timid and weak in his prayers. He didn’t understand the power and privilege of prayer. Lord God, give me a fuller and deeper understanding of prayer’s power. You invite me to ask for anything, anything at all, and you don’t qualify this invitation with any “but not this.” Lead me to realize this invitation and then to ask more boldly, more persistently, more aggressively. Prayer is not a time for me to be timid or wimpy. You even show this to me in the prayer that you teach, Lord Jesus. Each of the petitions is more than a request, it is a demand. “Make this happen, Lord.” “Give this to us, Lord.” “Protect us, dear Father.” Make my prayer so bold that I would dare to make such demands of you. Amen.