“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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are 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!” (Matthew 7:7-11)
In the spirit of full transparency, I’m not very good at follow through when it comes to prayer requests. On the one hand, I sometimes find myself afraid to ask the Lord for things. On the other hand, when I do ask for things, I don’t tend to tarry on the subject. I mean, who wants to be the annoying one?! But the thing is – we’re invited to ask continually. We’re instructed to pursue. Ask me! Seek after me! Knock on my door! That’s what the Jesus tells us to do. And his reasoning? “Why would I not want to give you good things?!” I think there are some of us who have a hard time believing that the Lord wants to give us the things we ask for. Why? If we, who are broken and sinful, still know how to love, care for, and provide for those around us – can we not believe the same thing about God, who is infinitely kind, loving and good? God’s goodness knows no bounds. It’s far reaching. It’s for the masses. It’s also for the individual. The recurring lesson for me during this “one day” season is two-fold: 1) Don’t be afraid to ask the Lord for the things that only he can do. 2) Don’t be afraid to keep asking. He wants us to. He invites us to. He has good things in store for us – and it’s for the asking! Go after the Lord. Pursue him. See what's in store. I think he will surprise us.
Lord, forgive us for not fully trusting in your goodness. Thank you for your continued faithfulness even in the midst of our distrust or lack of pursuit of you. Thank you for the good things that you give – both things asked and unasked. Teach us more about your goodness and your character. Help us to trust you fully. To come to you with all things, in all seasons, at all times. Let our pursuit of you be as relentless as your pursuit of us. We love you. Amen.