Ask God – Fanning the Flames of Faith Part 2.

Do you ask God for help when you are facing feelings of fear and failure? Wendy Macdonald explains what she has experienced.

Facing Feelings of Fear and Failure

Recently I woke up face to face with feelings of fear and failure. I recognized I was being barraged by waves of worry, just like many other times. But before I explain what I did next I’d like to introduce a theme of today’s podcast.

In part-1 of this series, I introduce the acronym FAITH. F-A-I-T-H, and I explained that F, for ‘forgive,’ is the first step towards warding off discouragement. It’s also one of the five ways to fan the flames of faith.

Today I’d like to introduce a second letter: A. A is for ‘ask.’

Asking Throughout the Day

I do a lot of asking throughout the day. If I see a parent in a grocery store struggling with a rambunctious child, I pray peace, grace and love over the two of them, because I’ve been a mama of a turbulent toddler in the candy aisle. If I hear an emergency vehicle siren I pray for the safety of all involved because I know how scary it is to witness a loved one in need of medical intervention. It gives me peace to do my part; to pray.

This same attitude of prayer is wise to be applied to ourselves when we’re facing dangers to our body, soul, or mind. Rather than fanning the flames of fear, we need to ask God to help us to do what needs to be done or ask him to help us leave what must be left undone.

God is able to grant us peace for the trials we’re waiting through. Asking is part of praying. Praying pays off. Worry wastes time.

Blessed With Peace

So, let’s return to the morning scene, when I woke up face to face with fear. I knew what to do next. I got up and prepared for my morning quiet time; when I opened my Bible to where I’d left off in the day before, I found Psalm 29:11 waiting to hug me. It said

“the Lord gives strength to His people. The Lord blesses His people with peace.” Psalm 29:11

Asking God for power and peace are the promises we need to stand on in order to fan the flames of our faith. He’s a good God who delights to deliver blessings into believing hearts.

Ask God and Seek Refuge

In Psalm 37:40, we’re reminded He helps those who seek refuge in Him, who hide in Him. Here it is;

“The Lord helps them and delivers them. He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in Him.” Psalm 37:40

We need to ask for His help rather than hold on to the flimsy hand of habits or distractions that only hurt us. Busyness is a false god I often grab on to, and like all idols, it never satisfies or saves me. It sinks me deeper into the dank well of worry.

Reluctance to Ask God for Help

I suspect my occasional reluctance to ask for His help stems from the fear He’ll require me to do something I don’t want to do. Even if He does, I can ask for help to agree with Him. I can ask for help to obey Him. Joy will come.

Joy is His hallmark signature I’m supposed to follow through with the good work. If I feel nothing but gloom about an idea, it may mean I’m not ready and it’s not time yet. But I still need to be willing to consider it if He is prompting me to.

The Best Thing We Can Do

Asking God for help is the blessed, best thing we can do. Because John:15:5, says we can’t do anything of eternal value without Him anyways.

Listen to what Jesus said,

“I am the vine. You are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Our solo deeds are like dime store junk compared to the marvelous works He’s planned for us to perform. Asking and receiving from God glorifies Him. It’s not our glory we should be asking for, only His. So, when I wake up feeling like a failure, I need to ask Jesus, the One who already succeeded in overcoming the world, for help.

Grab God’s Hand

It hurts to go solo. It doesn’t hurt to grab onto God’s hand. I’d like to close with a short poem.

Trials can serve as reminders.

We must find our refuge in you

Because there is no true shelter

In anything else we do.

How do you fan the flame of faith? Why do you think that it is so difficult to ask God for help? What do you think is the connection between faith and askgin?  Contact us at HopeStreamRadio,  or comment below.