Rogate
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The Latin name for the Sixth Sunday of Easter is Rogate, meaning: “Ask.” It’s an imperative, that is, a command. God says to you, “Ask me for the things you need. Ask, and you will receive” (Jn 16:24). But you might wonder, “If God already knows what we need even before we ask, why does He command us to ask?
To ask God for things is nothing other than to pray. And whether you’ve considered this or not, praying is an act of faith. When a child is hungry, what does he do? Apply for a job in order to get money for food? No. He announces, “I’m hungry.” In other words he lets his need be known, fully confident that either Dad or Mom will provide what he needs. The child doesn’t think about this, but saying, “I’m hungry” is a confession of faith. He confesses that his parents love him, that they plan to feed and not poison him, that they desire his welfare, and that he has only to let his need known and it will be provided. Of course, the child doesn’t think through any of these things. He just says, “I’m hungry!” and receives his food.
In the same way, when we announce our needs to God in prayer, we are confessing our faith. We are saying to God: “I believe that you exist, and more than that, I believe that you are not angry with me. Even though I am a sinner, you desire not to punish but to show mercy to the underserving. And since I am undeserving, this means that you desire to show mercy to me. I believe that you are not only the God and Creator of the universe, but you are also my Father. You have promised to care for me and to provide everything necessary for this life and the next. You are not too busy to hear my requests, or too lofty to treat with me. In fact, you have commanded me to bring every need large or small before you. You have promised to hear and assured me that you delight to give me good things. In this confidence and faith I bring my needs before you.”
It’s likely that you haven’t thought this through when you pray. That’s perfectly ok. It’s not necessary to be aware of your faith or even to be able to talk or write about it. What is necessary is that you have it. Infants have faith in their mothers, but of course, they can’t talk about it. They simply act on their faith, trusting that their mothers will provide and keep them safe. They don’t think about how letting their needs be known is an act of faith. They just do it. And Jesus says that we ought to have the faith of little children. We are to trust God, believing that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.
Many Christians think that we pray in order to change God’s mind. It’s as though God had one plan set in motion, a plan that didn’t include blessing you, but then through an act of prayer, you twist God’s arm and convince or force Him to give you what you need. Sometimes these Christians will say, “We need to get one-hundred people praying for this thing. If only one person prays, God won’t listen. But if one-hundred people pray, then God will have to answer us!” This way of thinking stems from a false idea of God, as though He needs to be convinced to bless us. But the Bible says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9)
So if we don’t pray to change God’s mind, then why do we pray? God already knows what we need, and He already has a plan to bless us beyond what we could even imagine. So why does he command us, “Rogate! Ask! Ask, and you shall receive!”? Prayer doesn’t change God. Prayer changes us! By nature, knowing that we are sinners, we suspect that God is out to punish us. We are afraid that His response to our prayer will be, “Are you kidding me? You, sinner that you are, expecting a blessing? Come back when you’ve had good behavior for a week, at least. Get your act together first, then try asking me for good things.” This is how we naturally think about God. We fully expect wrath and punishment from His hand because we are sinners.
God must give us faith to believe otherwise. And being the loving heavenly Father that He is, this is exactly what He does. He commands us, “Pray! Ask, and you shall receive! Knock and the door shall be opened!” And when you pray in this way, God is changing you. He is teaching you to believe that He loves you in spite of your sin. God does not want to give you what you deserve—temporal and eternal punishment. Instead, He wants to give you exactly what you don’t deserve, what you could never earn, what can only be received as a free gift on account of Christ’s perfect life and obedient death. God desires to give you undeserved forgiveness, life, and salvation.
But the very idea that God wants to bless us in this way in foreign to our minds. We more or less expect God to deal with us according to to the idea of karma. Do good things, get rewarded. Do bad things, get punished. We wouldn’t naturally dare to ask God for good things, and so He must command us: “Do ask me. Dare to hope and believe that My desire is to bless you far beyond what you could expect! Come to me in faith, and trust me to keep my promises to you!”
Faith is like a muscle. Every time you pray, your faith is being built up and strengthened. That’s the point of prayer: changing the way we think about God and His intentions toward us. Prayer exercises our faith, and this, more than anything else, is what we need in this life. You might be asking God to help you out with whatever problem you are facing. And He cares about that problem and has promised to hear your prayers. But more importantly, God has purposed to strengthen your faith. Why? Because faith in God is necessary for salvation. And this, above all else, is what your heavenly Father has purposed for you. God desires that all would be saved, and because of this purpose He commands you to pray.
Roman Catholic doctrine teaches people to think that God is too busy or too angry to hear their prayers directly. That’s why many try to pray to the saints as intermediaries. But Jesus says, “I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father Himself loves you” (Jn 16:27). God is not too busy. He’s not too angry. Your needs are not too small. Your sins are not too great. Your petitions are not a bother. You don’t need to direct your prayers through someone else. God, your very own heavenly Father, who loves you more than you can comprehend says, “Ask me! Ask me even for your daily bread! Ask me to forgive your sins! Ask me to rescue from every temptation! And most importantly, ask me to deliver you from all evil!” And wrapped up in God’s command to ask for these things, is His promise to give them all to you!
Prayer is a confession of faith. I believe that God almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth is my Father. And it is His great purpose to save me from this broken world, in spite of the fact that I am a sinner, and to present me along with the whole Christian church as a spotless bride to His Son, who is Christ my Lord. For this reason, the Father sent Jesus to suffer in my place, to redeem me from sin, death, and the devil, and so doing, to open for me the door to paradise. Trusting in what Jesus has done on my behalf, I am now bold to ask my dear heavenly Father for every thing necessary in this life, things great and small, believing that He delights to give me every good gift. And when I pray in accord with God’s promises, I am certain that these petitions are pleasing to Him and are heard by Him, for He Himself has commanded me to pray in this way and has promised to hear me. Amen, amen, means “yes, yes, it shall be so.” Amen.