Why Hesitate?

I wonder how many of us are guilty of coming to the Lord in prayer being very timid in our request and attitude toward Him. I mean, we come to God as if we have to pry the answer to our prayer out of His hands and convince Him to answer our request. This thought occurred to me the other day as I read the account in Genesis of God coming to Abraham to let him know He was about to bring judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah because of the many sins they had committed. 
When Abraham knew what The Lord was intending he began to intercede for the people of that city, just in case there may be a few who were righteous within its borders.  I noticed the hesitation of Abraham as he approached God with his concern. In many ways that is totally understandable. Abraham was not entertaining just any guest. This was his Lord, and our Lord as well, the Creator of heaven and Earth, who will one day judge all people. No wonder Abraham was careful as to how he approached God. Yet at the same time we notice how willing God was to grant the mercy Abraham was asking of Him.  As we read  the account we see Abraham hesitating to ask but still asking. Lord, what if there's fifty righteous? Lord, be patient with me, but what if there's forty?   Lord, don't be angry with me but what if there's thirty? He continues until he is down to ten, and in each case God is quick to say I will have mercy. Finally God said He will spare the city even if there's only ten righteous.
I guess what stood out to me is that, we can be very slow to ask, and when we ask, very slow to expect that God is willing to answer our request. Why? None of us are deserving of His patience and goodness. But He is a good God and willing to show mercy to us daily. His mercy extends even to a Sodom, a Gomorrah, the most wicked people or nations may receive of Gods mercy because of Jesus Christ. So why do we hesitate at times to ask? Maybe we think our sins are to deep for God to pay any attention to us.  Or maybe we think He doesn't concern Himself with me or my situation, after all, many people have much more serious problems then I'm facing.  The truth is that now that Jesus Christ has redeemed us and brought us into His kingdom, we have confident access to His very throne, and His very heart. Hebrews tells us to come boldly into the throne of grace to find help in a time of need. We come boldly, but not arrogantly. 
A leper came to Jesus once and said, "Lord if you're willing you can make me clean."   Jesus response was quick. "I am willing, be cleansed." Just as God was willing to respond to Abraham, and Jesus was willing to respond to the leper, so He is willing to respond to our prayer just as quickly.
So, as this new year begins, let's be bold to ask God for great things and know that He is willing and able, to do more than we can even ask! He is not hesitant, like we can be, but He is patient. I think part of His patience is waiting on a hesitating people who are unnecessarily slow to ask. Ask today! Seek today! Know that His promise is for all who call upon Him in truth and faith.

A Time For Doing Well

As we begin a new year of walking by faith and expectation of the goodness of God, it is well to look back for a brief moment and thank the Lord for all He has done in 2017. I can look back with gratitude for all He has done for me and for our family this past year. Many lessons have been learned and things put into practice that have yielded much fruit and good blessings for us. I hope the same may be said for you and for yours.
But now that a new year is in front of us, I personally do not like to look back to long. The future is always a bit daunting because of the unknown and because that's just how a walk of faith is. There is a sense of expectation of good, a knowledge that in the new year we will have our share of trials like anyone else. But we also know that our God reigns! And as He reigns He holds all things in the palm of His hand and we are safe in the sure ark of His wisdom.
I read in Genesis that God warned Cain to "do well" and if he does not do well sin is crouching at the door with an evil desire to destroy. I took this as a stern yet reassuring warning from the Lord. We must remember, that in the face of all the blessings we enjoy from our Savior, our adversary is never far away. Not only is the enemy of our soul near desiring to destroy us, our own sin nature is also a constant presence and even a threat to our well being. We must always be vigilant against both of those realities.
But I also read that in the midst of the turmoil and overwhelming presence of sin and evil in the ancient world, God provided for His godly remnant an ark of salvation. He led Noah and his family into the safety of that great vessel and they passed through the storm into the other side and into new beginnings. I hope we all experience a new year full of the blessing and protection of Christ our Lord our true ark of salvation and initiator of a new and better covenant. I trust we guard against our enemy, and persevere to victory and greater maturity in our faith and walk with Him.  I hope we make it our purpose, deliberately, to "do well," and to live with an expectation of our lives having an impact for Jesus Christ and His kingdom in our hurting and confused culture and world. God bless,  and have a blessed new year.