“For everyone who asks receives…” Luke 7:8
Faith is more than just believing; faith is also surrender to a trustworthy and compassionate God. If someone believes God, but doesn’t submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ, then they are not in faith. In James, the apostle tells us that demons believe in God; it’s not enough to simply believe. From our reliant position on an almighty God, a God who is faithful to His word, we believe.
In Luke 7:8 it says that when we ask, we receive. This passage goes on to say that if your child were to ask his or her father for bread, would the father give their child a stone instead? What kind of father would be so cruel as to deny the request of his child in need? Luke 7:11 says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” When we ask God for something we need, faith will believe it is theirs, confident that a good God will keep His word. The fact that we prayed, like He told us to do, gives us the assurance that it is ours, even before we see it. I John 5:14, 15 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
For example, from reading the Bible, we know if we ask for salvation for the forgiveness of sins, we can have confidence that we have been reconciled with God with the promise of eternal life. If someone asks you to prove that you have been saved from sin and death, you don’t have any proof other than this “knowing” that you have in your heart. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
This is true for any promise in the Bible, you believe you received, not because you can see it, but because you did what He told you to do; you asked Him for it. Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” How do you know what the promises of God are? One way is to read about them in the Bible. Another way is to listen to the voice of God speaking to your heart. Faith begins by knowing what the will of God is, then believe Him for it. God wants you to rely upon Him. Believe in Him and you can believe in His promises.
Application: Since you believed you received, then thank God for the promise, even before you see it. Don’t be concerned with proving anything to anyone. Your faith is personal between you and your Father.