Jesus asks  a great question to the man at the pool and it challenges me to remember that questions matter.

Jesus saw him lying there, and he knew that the man had been sick for such a long time; so he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” – John 5:6 GNT

He may have wanted something else, or Jesus wanted him to speak faith into his own heart or He simply wanted the man to express the desire in his heart. Either way, he proclaimed his need for healing. When people come to me for prayer, they usually tell me why but if not, I need to remember to ask them, “What do you want God to do for you?” It gives me some idea of where to go but I also ask God for discernment and wisdom to know if that is the real need. For example, the woman with the hunched back needed forgiveness first and then Jesus could heal her. So I pray for wisdom and God provides the guidance on how to move forward in prayer.

I pray for wisdom – God has it all and gives it to all who ask for it. I need to passionately pray for it. It is not so much about study and reading it is more about the Spirit’s revelation that provides wisdom. I crave it from my knees. I am challenged to beg for it.

My child, learn what I teach you and never forget what I tell you to do. Listen to what is wise and try to understand it. Yes, beg for knowledge; plead for insight. Look for it as hard as you would for silver or some hidden treasure. If you do, you will know what it means to fear the Lord and you will succeed in learning about God. It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding. He provides help and protection for those who are righteous and honest. He protects those who treat others fairly, and guards those who are devoted to him.

If you listen to me, you will know what is right, just, and fair. You will know what you should do.  – Proverbs 2:1-9 GNT

There is no bland request for wisdom but I read there is a desperate, passionate and zealous cry for it. I need to get intense. It is one thing I need to ask for.

What a precious promise.

Martin Luther’s most famous writing on prayer was also in the form of a letter to a friend. Luther was an extraordinary man of prayer himself. Veit Dietrich, one of Luther’s friends, wrote: “There is not a day on which he does not devote at least three hours, the very ones most suitable for work, to prayer. Once I was fortunate to overhear his prayer. Good God, what faith in his words! He speaks with the great reverence of one who speaks to his God, and with the trust and hope of one who speaks with his father and friend.” – Timothy Keller