Try Not To Bury Your Request In A Pile Of Meaningless Thoughts

by Eric Elkin

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

— Matthew 7:7

New York City is the rudest city in America. This does not surprise anyone, not even New Yorkers. Frankly, many New Yorkers pride themselves on their tough image. The title of rudest city in America resulted from a 2019 Business Insider and SurveyMonkey survey. They polled 2,000 people and asked them to name the five rudest cities, and New York City won with 34% of the vote.

I would not call that survey the most exhaustive study ever conducted. Yet, when have we ever let a little thing like evidence get in the way of our opinions? Truthfully, it is not hard to see where people would find their Manhattan experience rude. New Yorkers, I would argue, are not rude; they are direct. Most people in America are not used to that kind of behavior.

When we lived in Brooklyn, members of the church we served often asked us to come over for a visit. Both Peggy and I grew up with Midwestern values. Inviting someone over during a casual conversation was a polite thing to say. If the person wanted us to visit, they would contact us with a formal invitation. Then together, we would arrange a time, place, and date.

In New York, "you should come over and visit" meant precisely that, and the statement was permission for us to come and visit. When people asked us why we didn't come over, we responded, "We just thought you were being polite." They would respond, "Yes, we were, so why didn't you come?" It took a lot of work to explain the complicated protocols of Midwestern ethics and the fact that we rarely ask for things we truly want.

“One of the best aids to freedom is asking God for a lot of help-and asking often.”

— Joyce Meyer

Over the years, I have learned there is little depth to my communication style. I do not possess the ability nor the patience to explore the most productive or comfortable way to say something. The older I get, the less patience I have for this. My preference is to be direct without the intent of harm.

For example, we were taught to start with a positive comment before sharing a critique. When someone uses this approach on me, I want to say, "Cut to the chase! what's your problem?" I'm perfectly fine hearing the criticism. If we start with the actual point of the conversation, we will get to a resolution quicker.

My neighbor in Minnesota once stopped to talk with me. They spent 45 minutes complimenting me on our house and yard. Then it finally dawned on me, the neighbor had a problem and was buttering me up to tell me. They were waiting for me to ask what the problem was, and I was clueless. It turns out our dog barked too much.

Knowing how people around me communicate makes me wonder, do we ask for the things we need? Most people think they ask, but the person they are speaking to wouldn't know a request was being made. If we practice indirect communication in our everyday life, we probably will not practice direct communication with God.

Yes, God does know what is on our minds even before we ask. Yet, God waits for the invitation to respond to our needs. An invitation is an act of faith. We only ask things of people we assume can respond to the request. So, consider what you want from God, then ask for it. Do not bury the request among a bunch of meaningless thoughts. Be direct and consider why we are asking and what kind of response you desire. Then open yourself up to see the answer.

Click to read Matthew 7:7-12