In our Word of the Week this week, Pastor Rob Sauers takes us through the word “petition.” When we hear that word, we might think first of a formal written request signed by many people, appealing to authority in respect of a cause. In a petition, we are pleading to one in authority to do something we would like to see done.
The Bible speaks of petitions in the formal setting of the court. We have the example of Esther making her petitions known to King Ahasuerus. In the New Testament, the Jews petitioned Festus to execute the Apostle Paul.
The Bible also uses “petition” in the sense of prayer. When we think of petitions in this context, we probably most often think of the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. In this prayer, Jesus gives us a wonderful example of how we should bring our petitions before the Lord.
And we can do so with confidence. Though we are not worthy that God should answer any of our petitions, yet we have the promise from our gracious God, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7). Surely, God will answer our prayers according to His will out of His grace and His love for us.
And so, we can do what Paul encourages in Philippians 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
May God bless our study.