Asking More
When you’re researching a car, you look at the numbers, and when you look at the numbers, you
look at the engine’s output ratings. Perhaps no other metric speaks so strongly to us and influences our desire for the car as much as peak horsepower and torque. So it’s no surprise that, with scant few exceptions, peak output ratings have steadily increased over the past few decades. Along with infotainment touch screen sizes. And cupholder count. And tire section width; for some reason, a 2022 Honda Civic Touring comes with tires measuring 235 mm across. This, in a car with 180 horses under the hood and just over 3,000 pounds to move around.
The pursuit of higher output ratings by car folks is understandable. In a way, it is our calling. But the same pursuit by the general public is perplexing for this reason: the average driver has probably never experienced the peak output of an engine. If most people drive to commute, and most commuters shy away from sustaining wide-open-throttle for more than a few seconds, if at all, they are probably never getting the most out of their car. Take the 2022 Civic, for example. Peak horsepower happens at 6000 rpm, just shy of its 6600 rpm redline. If the average commuter would find themselves in a situation requiring wide-open-throttle, would they sustain that through a gear change? No? Would they even press the gas pedal down all the way? In most instances, most commuters seem to get by on maybe half of the power at their disposal. Most of those Civics will only ever be called on for maybe 90 horsepower.
When you aren’t using what you’ve been given, it seems greedy, or even wasteful, to ask for more. This is especially true for followers of Christ. One of the most sincere prayers is asking God what to ask for. This is at the core of the disciples’ request that prompted Jesus to teach them the Lord’s Prayer; they didn’t know what to ask for, and they certainly didn’t know how to ask it. Yet some of their other requests made them sound oblivious to the very presence of Jesus right in front of them: “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…’ Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’ Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.’” (John 14:5-9)
Even today, one of the most fervent requests in prayer circles is for God to reveal his will. Certainly, this is a sincere request. It also assumes a very useful mindset of humility, reverence, and openness that are essential for faithfully following God. Yet we already know so much of God’s will: to go and tell the people in our lives about God (Matthew 28:19-20), to spend time and resources on people who are living in challenging circumstances (James 1:27), to not waste time on worthless discussion (1 Timothy 6:20-21), to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), to be good citizens (Matthew 22:21)… This wealth of direction has led many theologians to recommend starting prayer time with at least a short Bible reading, to align our thoughts and desires with what we know God wants and desires, and to invite the Holy Spirit to guide us in specific circumstances like how to cope with doubt, who to talk to about career advice, what steps to take toward reconciliation with an estranged family member, or how to talk to your child about internet porn.
Asking, ultimately, is good. God asks us to do so. The relationship of our right foot to the engine is one of asking. A car buyer’s relationship with car manufacturers is one of asking as well, and certain metrics are useful for measuring a car’s improvement over model years. We just need some perspective sometimes; that new Civic completes the quarter mile in 15.8 seconds. You know what car ties that? A 1991 Mercedes 500SEL, with a 322-horsepower V8. Maybe 180 horsepower isn’t so bad after all. Of course, that Merc would be a lot quicker off the line with modern rubber. If it isn’t too much to ask.
