Prayer - שָׁאַל - sha'al

שָׁאַל - sha'al

Sha’al is the prayer asking. This prayer is not the prayer of begging God in desperation. It is not the prayer of asking God to judge in my favor (and against someone else). This is a prayer of requests. Through prayer we ask God for small favors; we can ask God for guidance in decisions; or we can ask God for wisdom.

Observe how this request is used in Scripture. This is the prayer that asks God for rain in Spring time; not in the midst of the drought – when we are desperate, but in the Spring – as a continuation of the good rains that God is already bringing. (Zec. 10:1) This prayer is not just a request for rain, but a thanks in recognition of the God who gives rain and refreshes the earth. The prayer can also be a thanks for refreshing in our personal lives, recognizing God’s continual presence and expressing a desire to continue in the relationship.

This is the prayer of desire to know more about God. Through this prayer we spend time with God, seeking to know Him better. God tells us, “ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened” (Dt 4:32-34). God wants us to know of His work and His wonders. Through this prayer we acknowledge God’s greatness and glory. God wants us to ask Him “His Name,” (Ge 32:29) and through this get a glimpse of His Personality.

The Prayer of asking should be used to help us make decisions – not just in times of crisis, but to make decisions for the future. King David regularly asked God for guidance. (1 Sam. 5:19). God told Ahaz to ask for guidance, even to the point of requesting a sign; (Isa 7:11) but this king who relied on himself – refused.
God wants us to seek Him. God wants to guide us in all things. God gave the priest the Urim and Thummim to inquire of Him. God gives us prayer and His word to ask of Him. God wants us to ask of Him; He says, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” (Ps. 2:8)
The prayer of asking includes asking for good things – for others (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem – Ps 122:6), and for ourselves (One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. – Ps 27:4).
The Lord wants to provide for us….
PS 105:40 They asked, and he brought them quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
PS 105:41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert.
PS 105:42 For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.
PS 105:43 He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
PS 105:44 he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
PS 105:45 that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws.
However, There is a condition …The Lord wants us to walk in all His ways, love Him and serve Him. God desires to give blessings to those who love Him with all their heart and with all their soul, observing the Lord’s commands and decrees because that is the desire of their hearts. “This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Jer 6:16)