Ask God: It is helpful to understand how and why God set up His system of communication with Him. Mankind was given full access to God without any restrictions. Adam walked in the cool of the evening with God. Their relationship was free and open. After the fall, sin separated mankind from God.

Good Evening Reader,

God desires to fellowship and to communicate with you. Understanding the first chapter of Genesis helps us know the reason God gave man dominion over the earth.

May God Bless you this day.

Elvin

Let Them Have Dominion: Why God Waits for Us to Ask

Bob's Broken Plan

Bob had a plan. He worked hard, saved his money, and opened a small hardware store. For two years, business was good. Then a big chain store opened across town. Customers stopped coming. Bills piled up. Bob stayed late every night trying to fix things on his own.

One evening, his friend William stopped by. "Bob, have you prayed about this?" he asked.

Bob sighed. "I figured God already knows. If He wanted to help, He would."

Maybe you feel like Bob. You are carrying a heavy load. You wonder why God has not stepped in. You believe God is good, but your problem is still there.

Here is good news. God has not left you alone. He gave us His Word to show us how He works on the earth, and He gave us a model to follow in Jesus. When we understand what God said in the beginning, we can learn how to partner with Him every day.

God Keeps His Word

God is faithful to His Word. When God makes a statement, it becomes a law for man and for God. God will not break His own Word. He does not say one thing today and something different tomorrow.

"For I am the LORD, I do not change" (Malachi 3:6). Our God is not wishy-washy.

"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19).

David wrote, "For You have magnified Your word above all Your name" (Psalm 138:2). God places His Word very high. That is why we can trust Him completely. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

So when God speaks about how man and the earth work together, we should pay close attention.

What God Said in the Beginning

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth'" (Genesis 1:26).

The Hebrew word for "dominion" is radah. It means to rule or to govern. God gave mankind a real job. We were made to rule the earth on His behalf.

Bible teachers have two ways of understanding this verse. Let's look at both.

View One: God Waits for Us to Ask

The first view says that God truly turned dominion over the earth to mankind. The words "let them" did not include God. God gave the job to people, and He will not go back on His Word.

The psalmist said, "The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD's; but the earth He has given to the children of men" (Psalm 115:16).

If God gave man authority over the earth, then God often waits for man to invite Him in. This is one of the big reasons for prayer. When we ask God for help, we are giving Him permission to step into our situation.

Jesus taught us to ask. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will

James put it plainly: "Yet you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2).

Look at what God said through Ezekiel: "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one" (Ezekiel 22:30). God was looking for someone to pray. He was looking for a person to stand in the gap.

An illustration: Think of a house you rent to a family. You still own it, but you gave them the keys. If you are a good landlord, you do not walk in whenever you feel like it. You wait until they call you and say, "Please come fix the leak." Many believe God works in a similar way. He gave us the keys to the earth. Prayer is our phone call asking Him to come in.

This view reminds us that prayer is not a small thing. Prayer matters. Our asking opens the door for God to work.

View Two: God Is Still the Owner

The second view says God gave man a job, but He never stopped being in charge. It is like the owner of a company who hires a manager. The manager runs the business each day and makes most of the decisions. But the owner still owns the company. He can step in any time he wants and overrule the manager.

The Bible is clear that God still owns the earth. "The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1).

God also rules over the affairs of men. Daniel wrote that "the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He chooses" (Daniel 4:17). Solomon said, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes" (Proverbs 21:1).

"But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases" (Psalm 115:3).

Jesus also spoke of us as stewards. "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household?" (Luke 12:42). A steward manages what belongs to someone else. He will one day give an account to the master.

An illustration: Thomas manages a restaurant for its owner. Thomas hires the cooks, orders the food, and runs the schedule. Most days, the owner lets Thomas do his job. But one night a kitchen fire breaks out. The owner rushes in and takes charge. Thomas does not complain. It was always the owner's restaurant.

This view reminds us that God is never helpless. He is sovereign. Nothing is out of His reach.

Bringing the Two Views Together

Both views teach us something true. God gave us real responsibility, so our prayers matter. And God is still the sovereign Lord, so we never have to fear that He is powerless.

Here is the key point. Whether God waits for us to ask, or whether He chooses to step in on His own, the answer for us is the same. We should pray. We should ask. We should invite Him into every part of our lives.

And the best example of how to do that is Jesus Himself.

Jesus Prayed Every Day for Direction

Jesus is the Son of God. But while He walked on earth, He lived as the Son of Man. He "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). As a man, He showed us how to live in daily partnership with the Father.

Jesus made prayer a habit. "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed" (Mark 1:35).

"So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed" (Luke 5:16).

Before He chose His twelve disciples, He prayed all night. "He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve" (Luke 6:12–13).

Isaiah described this pattern hundreds of years earlier: "He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned" (Isaiah 50:4).

Doing What the Father Does

Jesus did not make His own plans for the day. He watched for what the Father was doing.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner" (John 5:19).

Saying What the Father Says

Jesus also did not choose His own words. He spoke what the Father gave Him.

"When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things" (John 8:28).

"For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak" (John 12:49–50).

"The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works" (John 14:10).

Think about that. The Son of God asked the Father every day what to do and what to say. If Jesus needed daily time with the Father, how much more do we?

Bob Tries Something New

Bob took William's advice. The next morning, he got up thirty minutes early. He sat at his kitchen table with his Bible and a cup of coffee. He told God everything: his fear, his debts, and his worry about his family.

Then he asked, "Lord, what should I do today? What should I say?"

Nothing dramatic happened that morning. But over the next few weeks, Bob felt led to call a local contractor he had not talked to in years. That contractor started buying supplies from Bob's store for his building projects. Bob also felt peace, even before things turned around.

Bob learned what Jesus modeled. God does not want to be our last resort. He wants to be our first call every day.

Putting It Into Practice

Here are five simple ways to live this out.

Set a daily meeting with God. Pick a time and place. Morning works well, just like it did for Jesus. Start with ten or fifteen minutes. We are told in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first (not second, or third, or last) the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Let your first thoughts and first words acknowledge Him and your dependence on Him.

Invite God into your situation. Do not assume He will act without being asked. Say it out loud: "Father, I invite You into my marriage, my job, my health, and my finances." "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6). We are told to ask to receive, seek to find, and to knock for the door to be opened. God wants us to depend on Him.

Ask two questions each day. "Father, what do You want me to do today?" and "Father, what do You want me to say today?" Then be quiet and listen. The Holy Spirit will answer you in His time.

Trust God's sovereignty. When you do not see an answer right away, remember that God is still in charge. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5–6). So often, we do things without knowing why. Is it because the Holy Spirit is leading you?

Write it down. Keep a notebook of what you prayed and how God answered. Over time, you will see His faithfulness on every page. As you see God answer your prayers, your faith will grow.

Conclusion

God said, "Let them have dominion," and God keeps His Word. He gave us a real place of authority on the earth. He is our sovereign Lord and is ready to stretch forth his hand in our time of need.

Jesus showed us the way. Every morning, He met with the Father. He did what the Father did and said what the Father said. You can live that way too. Tomorrow morning, before your day gets busy, open your Bible, invite God in, and ask Him to lead you. He is faithful, and He is waiting to hear from you.

Elvin

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