Ask God

“... This also I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them …” (Ezekiel 36:37).

Although God has given us His promise, it is our responsibility to pray for His promise to be fulfilled.  The reason is God wants to use our prayer to fulfill His promise for us.  What was God’s promise to the house of Israel?  It was the promise of renewal.  In other words, for His holy name’s sake God wanted Israel to be renewed.  And this promise was given to the Israelites because God has concerned for His holy name, “which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went” (v.21).  So it wasn’t for the sake of the house of Israel that God was about to fulfill His promise of renewal but for His holy name (v.23).  God wanted to prove Himself holy among the Israelites in the sight of the nations (v.23). 

The same God wants to prove Himself holy among us, God’s chosen ones, in the sight of this unbelieving world.  For His holy name’s sake, He wants to fulfill His promise of renewal.  He wants us to be renewal so that we may manifest His holy name in this unholy world.  What must we do?  We must ask God to do so for us.  We must ask God to renew us with His heart of concerning His holy name.