Bartimaeus was a beggar who sat at the gate to Jericho begging for alms. Jesus came by with His disciples, and Bartimaeus asked what all the commotion was about. He was told, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by” (Luke 18:37).

In response Bartimaeus began to yell out loud, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” (Luke 18:38). Those around him tried to keep him quiet, but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:39).

Jesus heard Bartimaeus crying out, so He went to the blind man. Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

All Bartimaeus knew was the voice of Jesus who was speaking to him. He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight” (Luke 18:41). In calling Jesus “Lord,” Bartimaeus probably included all the worship of deity that was in his heart.

Bartimaeus had a very simple request, although extraordinary in scope. A man who was blind was asking for his sight. Jesus responded, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well” (Luke 18:42). Then Bartimaeus could see, just because he asked for sight.

One of the key ingredients of prayer is asking.

When I was a 17-year-old freshman at Columbia Bible College, I was in a dormitory with World War II veterans who had been influenced during the war by a group called the Navigators. Most of these men had small notebooks where they kept their Bible study material, but it also had pages where they wrote out their requests for prayer. Each page contained a list of the simple things for which these men were praying. I purchased a small notebook and also began a prayer list. I still have most of those pages of prayer lists that go back to the 1950s.

During that time I tried to date three or four freshman girls who were cute and had a lot of sparkle. But when I asked them for a date, I was turned down because one girl had to “wash her hair,” another had to “study,” or “write a term paper.” I didn’t quite believe them; I just thought they didn’t want to go out with me.

In January 1951, I picked out Ruth Forbes, one of the best-looking girls at the college, the most spiritual, and her father had lots of money. I wrote in my prayer list, RUTH FORBES, and began banging on the windows of Heaven to get the attention of God by saying, “God, when I ask Ruth to go out with me on a date, make her say ‘YES!’”

When I finally asked her out, she said, “Sure, why not?”

We went on a date more for friendship than any other reason. Then I found myself dating her for how fun it was to be with her; not for romantic love or even puppy love. We just had so much in common; we prayed together, served the Lord together, and later when I became pastor of a weekend church in Savannah, Georgia, we used our Friday night dates to write, type, and print the church bulletins on a mimeograph machine in the student lounge.

I learned that you should ask for the things you want, even dates in college. Why? Because the Lord loves to answer your prayers.

In September 1951, after ten months of dating, Ruth and I began to get serious about each other. Her name was no longer in the middle of my prayer list, but was number one at the top of the page. Again I banged on the windows of Heaven asking God, “When I ask her to marry me, make her say ‘Yes!’”

Finally, toward the end of September, I picked a rose from a neighbor’s yard next to the college, had my proposal poem written, and knelt before her. I asked her if she would be my wife. God answered my prayer, she said, “Sure, why not?” (She didn’t really say that. She was as scared as I was at the moment, and she said, “Mmmm, huh!”) To this day I tell young people at Liberty University, don’t even think about marrying someone you can’t pray with. As a matter of fact, don’t even go out with that person if you can’t pray together on your date.

When we think that prayer is simply asking, remember the words of James, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2).

After Ruth and I had been married about 25 years, I found myself walking through a city park in Savannah, Georgia, my home. I saw a middle-aged woman sitting on a park bench who nodded to me and I nodded back but kept walking. She said, “Elmer Towns.” She recognized me, so I said, “Yes.”

She said, “I’m Betty (and she gave her last name).”

I remembered Betty from our high school days; she was a petite beauty who could have been a high school cheerleader; her personality and good looks could have opened any door she wanted. Betty had been saved in the same revival meeting where I came to know Christ as my Savior. We passed a few pleasantries then she asked, “How come you never asked me for a date when we were in high school…?”

I backed away, a little embarrassed and a little afraid. I had heard that Betty had a “spoiled reputation,” gone through a couple of marriages, and was no longer living for God. I didn’t know what she was suggesting, but I didn’t want any part of it.

Betty said, “Of all the boys in high school, I always wanted to date you, but you never asked me.” I remembered that she dated Charles the big football guy, and Arthur the big basketball guy; she had always gone for the sports guys. Then she explained, “I always wanted to date you, because you worked so hard; you had a paper route in the morning and a paper route at night, and you made a lot of money. I knew you would take care of me.”

At that moment I realized I could have dated her, but I was too reluctant to ask her. I thought I was not good enough. At that moment, the Scripture popped into my head, “You have not because you ask not.”

Isn’t that true of many of us? We don’t ask God for the great things that we want him to do because we think we are not good enough (see Chapter 4) or we are too aware of our sin. Remember the blind Bartimaeus principle: God answers by giving us the things for which we ask.

Let’s Pray Now

Since God expects you to ask, and God answers when you ask, the next step is to learn how to ask God to answer your prayers. Let the following principles guide you.

First, pray specifically, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it”