Just Ask

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8

I think the Lord sits back sometimes and just chuckles at us. I mean, really. I can just picture Him sitting in beautiful baseball field-like green grass, surrounded by tall trees and park benches, holding himself up by His arms that are stretched out behind him, His legs stretched out in front of Him crossed at the ankles, watching us here on earth. He watches in half amazement, half humor: Half amazement in that THE Word is so self-explanatory and laid out for us, and half humor in that we fail to see that and make it so much harder than it really has to be! Take, for instance, Matthew 7:7-8. How much more plain did God have to be when He inspired Matthew to write this book? The message version states, "Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?"

I know I am guilty of it. I am guilty of not asking for what I want from the Lord. I know that the Lord has a strong calling on my life, I know what I need in order to really begin that calling, I know what I am lacking, yet I don't ask. I catch thoughts drifting off to "If only I had ________", or "I just really would like to _________ but that is going to take God for it to happen!" Really?! THEN ASK!!!! I just laugh. I just read Matthew 7:7 and giggle to myself. The Lord wants us to ask him for what we need; He is begging us to ask him. He says, so plainly "Ask me and you will receive it!" AHHH! How much more plain does He need to get?

However, I think that we get so caught up with our own time that we forget about His timing. In my 26 years of living and most of that for Christ, I have come to the realization that His time is VERY rarely ours, if ever. The Bible doesn't say "Ask and you will receive it right then!" or "Knock and the door will be opened as soon as you want it to." HA oh I wish...But then, if we knew how God worked and why He works the way he does, He wouldn't be God. That is one of the most incredible things about Him- that we DON'T know. That He has His own time and plan- and that is one of the hardest things about living a life for Christ. TRUSTING in God. Truly knowing that He is for us; that He will never forsake us in our weakness and strength; that we are never on our own. Sometimes simply asking, "God, please reveal yourself to me. Let me feel you. Just let me know you are here" is all the Lord needs to hear. Ask Him. ASK HIM. God will ALWAYS answer. Maybe yes. Maybe no. Maybe wait. But God will always answer when you ask. You just have to be quiet enough to listen...