After spending some time in thought and prayer, I began a biblical search for the priorities of God; essentially, what does God want?
In response to this most important question, I first visited the famous conversation between God the Father and the pre-incarnate Christ in Psalm 2:8. It reads ?
“Ask of Me, and I shall give the nations for Your inheritance; and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession.” (vs. 8, NKJV)
Another version states,
“What do you want? Name it: Nations as a present? Continents as a prize?” (The Message Bible)
Listening in To Those with Influence
I remember as a child being invited in, on rare occasions, to the adult world. Mom and Dad would have friends over to the house, and I would sit and listen to the conversation. The dialog was often above my comprehension, but the thrill I felt just being included was overwhelming. Of the voices heard, the one I wanted to hear the most was that of my dad. His strong, masculine voice was attended to above the rest; just because he was my dad.
As joyous as it was to listen in to my parents’ conversation, how much greater would it have been to listen in to the conversation between the Father and the Son, as they discussed the future plans for mankind. Well, this passage of scripture provides us with the privilege of listening in to this special conversation between the God the Father and God the Son. The discussion surrounded the purpose of the King and his Kingdom. In the heart of the King, and in the Son, was to see the nations pay homage to the King. It was a conversation filled with emotion, with mutual respect and admiration.
The Father declares that the faithful Son can ask for whatever he wants. The Son, desiring to please the Father asks for the nations. This is his prayer, and should be ours as well. Of course, the answer is assured; in his time.
Prayers like this lead to an expression of true identity. The fact is, the Father was proud of the Son, and the Son wanted to honor the Father. Like Father, like Son, like his sons and daughters. The nations need Christ. There is a heaven to gain, and a hell to shun as the old phrase goes, and the responsibility of the church is to give all people groups the opportunity to have life in Christ. It is truly unethical to withhold the path to life from the nations. For in Christ we find the hope of the present and future. In the next blog, I will discuss the importance of this word ask…for it has some very significant meaning for us as believers.
Would love to hear your thoughts… please leave you comments here ... until next time.
Blessings,
Dr. Stan…