Ask, Seek, Knock!

Guest Blog by Alfred Turley

This week as a church we will come together and pray at our 1st Wednesday service, as well as the 24 Service, where we will pray and fast as a church for 24 straight hours. But why is prayer such a big deal? Why does God want us to pray?

For people just beginning a relationship with God, prayer can be hard to understand. Some people struggle with it, feeling like asking God for help is selfish and feels wrong. And some say we should only bother God with the big stuff, like when someone is seriously ill, or we lose a job, or have a real crisis in our lives way beyond our abilities. But listen to what Jesus encourages us to do in Matthew:

Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matt 7:6-7 HCSB)

While the word "pray" isn't used here, the act of asking God can be done in no other way. Jesus encourages us to be relentless and aggressive in the pursuit of God's help with our needs and desires. He knows that engaging in the pursuit of God's help means we are building a bridge of communication and trust with God that will be pivotal in our lives. Prayer is the channel where we call in His power to change our hearts and do what we cannot do on our own!

You see, through prayer God refines us, brings His power into our lives, and shows us His love!

• Through asking, God will show us what our true needs are, and refine our desires to what pleases Him.


• God will give us real help! He will give us victory over sin and self-centeredness, as well as meet our needs and shape our lives for the better.


• God will become our friend and trusted father, and we will begin to understand more and more how much He loves us and desires to be involved in our lives.

All that happens through "asking" - through prayer! Join us this week as we come together and pray. Plan on being a part of it all:

• Come to 1st Wednesday in Dalton, Ringgold or Calhoun, and join us corporately in prayer, worship & communion. The service starts at 6:30 PM, with dinner at 5:30 PM.


• Participate in the 24 Service for at least 15 minutes or more. The service will last from 8:20 PM on Wednesday until 5:00 PM on Thursday. Consider bringing your small group and praying together.


• Consider fasting from something on Thursday, something that shows God the seriousness of your desire to engage Him, and the seriousness of our need for Him.

Come and ask big of God in your life, and in the life of our church, community and nation! God loves us, wants us to trust Him, and wants to be the power we lean on for every aspect of our lives!