ASK THAT YOU MAY RECEIVE

As humans and God’s creatures, we must recognize that His Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience and overriding fatherly love, not withstanding, we still must approach Him with all measures of sanctity, respect, worthiness and an understanding of what exactly we are requesting or asking for.

By Dr. Jonathan Isibor

It is uncommon for most persons to sit up and begin to meditate upon a seemingly unimportant term such as the simple word “ASK”.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word “ask” means “To tell somebody that you would like them to do something or that you would like something to happen” or “To say that you would like somebody to give you something” or “To request permission to do something’’ or “To invite somebody; e.g. ask somebody to dinner’’.

The above definitions reflect the everyday social usage, to which the word “ASK” can be applied.

Lastly, you can also say, “he asked for it, as an idiomatic expression, to mean, that someone deserved something bad that happened to him or somebody did to him”.

However, this last expression is not what is implied in the present article. Rather, I intend to examine or interpret the word “ASK” from a positive and constructive perspective.

In the Physical Sciences, there is a law (Newton’s Third Law of Motion), which states that: For every action in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

One could rearrange the wordings of this law, and state that “For every asking, there is a response.’’

The basis of the foregoing article is succinctly expressed in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew in the sacred Holy Bible.

In chapter 7, verses 7 to 11, we read, “Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive, and everyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to him who knocks.’’ A reassuring and powerful admonishment indeed!

Locked up in these biblical statements, is a very powerful mystical tool for attracting success to our lives. At this season of the year, it is fitting to use every spiritual tool at our disposal to unlock and breakdown self-imposed concepts which tend to limit us on our path to self realization.

Verse 9, in the chapter earlier quoted further reads: “Would any of you who are fathers give your son a stone when he asks for bread? Or would you give him a snake when he asks for a fish? Bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then will your father in heaven give good things to those who asks him”

Another quote from the Holy Bible is taken from the Philippians, chapter 4, verse 6, which says, “Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ASK God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.”

In the Benin (Edo State) dialect, there is a proverb which runs thus; “Aize ne non huwuan”, which translated means, “You do not choose for whoever remains silent.”

In order words, you have to ask in order to receive. No doubt, most other sacred literatures other than the Holy Bible have their own valuable ideas on the virtue of asking for something in humility especially if such thing is important to one’s life.

In metaphysical philosophy nothing cannot give rise to something, in order words, something cannot just occur without a cause; a reaction must naturally result from a causative action.

When we contemplate all the foregoing comments, one cannot but arrive at the conclusion that whenever we ask, we exercise a subtle force or power.

Asking is an innocuous vocal command to the conscious or subconscious mind of another person directly or indirectly, with a view to provoking a sympathetic response.

Here lies the spiritual power in this word. “The ancient mystical injunction was that you must ASK in order to receive, that you must proffer your hand in order to have the token given unto you, that you must express your desire before it will be answered.”

The central theme of the foregoing article is that, “In all mystical processes, the expression of a sincere wish or desire, opens wide the doorway to the reception of spiritual blessings.”

Furthermore, “the asking in sincerity and the reverential expression of such wishes attune the person with the one who had the power to give and, unless there is a meeting of the minds and a meeting of the consciousness of both persons , there can neither be attunement nor the passing from one to the other of the spiritual things desired.”

It is common knowledge, however that often times we lodge a litany of petitions before the God of our hearts.

Consider for instance, a session of attunement with your inner self during which time you place before God and the Masters, a request for peace of mind, or contentment in life or good health, or asking that you be directed in the accomplishment of a given task.

Whenever we ask for any of these and it is granted us, would this not be the most honest and worthy petition that could ever be made by us?

God alone, in His infinite wisdom knows exactly what we require in life and it is at His discretion, NOT ours that we merit whatever we would have.

The message here is that we only need to make our request as simple as ever, and thereafter, from time to time visualize ourselves enjoying the benefits of what we’ve asked for, and then dismiss our thought forms into the cosmic with confidence.

As an example of how simple a request to the cosmic could be, let us listen to St Augustine in the following petition:”Lord teach me to know Thee and to know myself”.

In what seems to be a confession of ignorance, Fenelon prayed as follows: “Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of Thee, Thou only knowest what I need; Thou lovest me better than I know how to love myself. O Father, give to Thy child that which he himself knows not how to ask”.

Contemplate the humility expressed in the following prayer routinely said by Catholic Christians, before receiving the Holy Communion: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you under my roof, just say the word and my soul shall be healed”

As humans and God’s creatures, we must recognize that His Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience and overriding fatherly love, not withstanding, we still must approach Him with all measures of sanctity,respect, worthiness and an understanding of what exactly we are requesting or asking for.

The lesson here is encapsulated in the usual judicial quote that says, “He who seeks equity, must go with clean hands”.

A good desire as the foundation of our needs in life can never go unanswered! Humility and absence of ego in our prayers and meditations oftentimes qualify us to receiving that which we have asked for.

Perhaps it is very apt at this point to reflect on one of the “Eight Beatitudes” given by Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount.

All of the Beatitudes represent those virtues in life which will ultimately lead to reward for those who adhere to them. They also provide peace in the midst of our trials and tribulations on this earth.

In particular, the text of the third Beatitude runs as follows: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”.

Meekness is synonymous with humility and St Augustine advises us to be meek in the face of the Lord.
A person that is meek is one that exhibits self-control.

In the view of St. Gregory of Nyasa, a mystic who lived in Cappadocia in Asia Minor around 380 AD, “Beatitude is a possession of all things held to be good, from which nothing is absent that a good desire may want.”

And now that we know, it behooves us all that in the years ahead, we must beware of our attitudinal postures.
We must jealously guide our thought patterns, our utterances and our action towards others for it has been said that whatever anyone sows, so shall he/she reap! Let us therefore strive relentlessly to always work on the positive side of the law of KARMA.

Dr. Jonathan Isibor is an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State of Nigeria. He can be reached at: joe_isibor@yahoo.com