Asking

When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother “what will I be?”

“Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?”

Here’s what she said to me:

Chorus:
Que Sera, whatever will be, will be.

The future’s not ours to see.

Que Sera, what will be, will be.

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“Que Sera, Sera” is a popular saying that means “what will be will be”.

While searching for its origin, I found the lyrics of the song above that made it popular in the 1950s. The song has three verses depicting different stages of the writer’s life; when she was a child, when she was a wife, and when she became a mother.

At each stage, she had different questions about the future, and the people she asked kept telling her what she might become. Ultimately, the message of the song is that “the future is not ours to see”.

However, the danger of this phrase is that it can lead one to live in a passive state, believing that whatever God wants to happen in their lives will occur without any effort on their part, not realising that it requires a partnership with God to manifest the future He has planned for them.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Matt 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10 NKJV

During the Sermon on the Mount, one of the principles Jesus taught was the importance of “asking”. Asking is a key aspect of our relationship with God. You have, on many occasions, asked for His protection, blessings, counsel, and many other things for yourself and for those you care about. Asking requires faith that you will receive the answers you seek.

God is not burdened by our requests; He invites them. Scripture mentions that “you have not because you ask not” (James 4:2), and that we should, with prayer and supplication, make our requests known to God (Philippians 4:6).

Sometimes, when Jesus wanted to heal someone, He asked them what they wanted. For example, when Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus for mercy, instead of immediately healing him, Jesus asked what he wanted. This suggests that if Bartimaeus had asked for a house, clothes, or something else, that is probably what he would have received.

In Mark 10:51, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man replied, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

Jesus also spent His last hours on Earth asking the Father for love, peace, joy, and unity among His disciples. In Gethsemane, He asked for the cup of suffering to pass from Him if possible. This demonstrates that Jesus believed there was a purpose in asking the Father. He did not adopt a “what will be, will be” attitude, as many do today.

In Luke 11, Jesus illustrated the power of asking with the story of a man who persistently requested a loaf of bread from his neighbour late at night. He explained that if the neighbour could be awakened, he would surely provide the bread.

He also highlighted this point in Matthew 7:11: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?”

This shows that God is more than willing to answer us when we ask for things, including guidance about our future and how to walk in partnership with Him to fulfil His will on Earth. God is a generous Father. He is ready to give beyond what you can ask or think—but you must first ask.

The world offers many answers, but we must be intentional and persistent in asking God—not just for material things, but also for insight into what He has in store for us.

We can do this through prayer, continuous renewal of our minds by studying the Word, and a sincere desire to do His will. So that we can remain in tune with Him in every season of our lives.

Lastly, what God plans for you is great and mighty, but it may not come to fruition if you refuse to ask Him. When the answer comes, believe, obey, and trust Him.

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3; KJV