Why do believers need to ask for the Holy Spirit?
Jesus promised that those who believed in him were to receive the Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39). Why then should those who believe in him have to ask? When the disciples began to pray before the day of Pentecost, Jesus had already promised them that they would receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 1). Were they not asking for what Jesus had already promised them? Since this particular text does not plainly tell us what they prayed for, it makes sense to let the Bible interpret it for us by investigating other cases like it. When Daniel read that the time had come for the restoration of Jerusalem, did he simply wait for God to do what He had promised? No indeed! He set his face to seek the Lord with “prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes,” which suggests perhaps several days. He confessed all the obstacles to this fulfillment in the ways of himself and his people, earnestly pleading with God to fulfill His promise (Dan. 9:2-19). Not only were the 120 awaiting the fulfillment
