Monday, April 27, 2009

Asking

22And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 21:22

It is hard sometimes to remember to ask. I was visiting with some friends from Choices this past weekend and was sharing with them how much I would like to coach some time soon. There are some steps I need to take before I can do that and I cannot control how quickly some of those steps happen. So, I realized I have not prayed about this. I have not asked for God to open the doors so I can go, I had not actually gone to Him and said "this is something I want to do. If You want me to do it, please make it possible". So, last night I began praying for this. God can say "no", "not yet" or "yes". Either way, I am placing it in His hands. I will continue to do my part, but I am content to leaving it with Him. It's the best place for it.

I often want to do things myself. I want to be in control of all the details, the timing and everything else. Sometimes I need to stop and remind myself that God's timing is always perfect and best, even, or especially when, I would do it differently. I have experienced this many times. For example, I got pregnant with my youngest child the week I returned home from my sister's funeral. We had been asking for him for a full year prior to that and I must be honest that my first reaction was "Now?" I wouldn't trade my son for anything. A has been such a blessing in our lives and I know that God has a purpose for him, that God has a special plan for this child. A has a calling to serve God and do a great work for him. Maybe my family needed some good news desperately at that time. Maybe it was a sign that we had made the right decisions. Maybe a lot of things, I'm sure when I see Jesus He will share with me what was going on behind the scenes and why we waited a year to have A and then were given him at a terribly low point.

Sometimes when we ask for something, we don't get it right away. Sometimes we don't get it at all. The truth is that if we trust Jesus and put it all in His hands we will receive what is best for us, even if we cannot recognize that truth in the moment.

So, today I recommit to asking for what I want. Jeremiah 29:11 says:
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."

If I truly believe in God and have faith in Him, then I must trust that He wants what is best for me. He does know me. He does have great plans for me, He wants me to have hope and He wants to prosper me in all I do. Are you ready to ask for what you want? Are you afraid to ask for what you want? Can you accept a "no"? Start with something small(ish) or start with something big. Trust that God wants to give you Good things. He loves you. He wants you to ask Him for what you want. He will give you good gifts just because, but there are times when He can't say "yes" until you ask.

God bless you today.

No comments: