For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. (Matt. 7:8-11)
Sometimes I think we don’t ask God for things often enough.
The little, mundane things we may need help with throughout an ordinary day.
Maybe we don’t want to bother anyone to ask for help, much less God. Maybe we think we can handle things ourselves. Perhaps we view our need as a sign of weakness. Or maybe we feel we will owe something in return.
Often we can feel like our prayers are a Honey-Do list for God and we are asking for far too much, far too often rather than spending time listening. Being quiet with God is, of course, important. And perseverance in prayer is necessary.
But what about the everyday, ordinary stuff as we go about our days? Do we ask God for help right then and there?
I was driving to the store and I saw a freight train up ahead. I found myself praying to God that I wouldn’t have to wait at that train and also not be stopped by one on the way back home. I was already feeling fragile and the feeling of being trapped indefinitely can do me in with anxiety.
Lo and behold, the train ended before I got to the tracks and I drove right through! I was so relieved, “Thank you Jesus!” I seriously felt as if He had just parted the Red Sea just just for me! I was so grateful. And! I did not catch a train on the return trek.
It reminded me to ask for simple, specific things like this more often. I’m sure I won’t be able to avoid every train for the rest of my life, but it made my day and increased my faith.
I wonder how much help and favor I could have been getting in the past if only I had asked! God wants us to come to Him and depend on Him for EVERYTHING, each day, not just the big stuff or only when we’re desperate.
Notice in the above scripture from Matthew, Jesus says: “your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask.” He knows what we need ahead of time but He instructs us to ask. Because asking requires faith and trust.
Would you be inclined to help someone if they didn’t appear to need it or didn’t ask?
A mother can’t always help her child if the child doesn’t make their needs known. We can’t read minds. As it says in the scripture, we won’t give our child a snake if he asks for a fish. But the key is to ask because it never hurts to ask. We have free will. If we don’t ask, it can be our loss.
God is the Mighty One who made the entire universe and all that is in it. Imagine if our feeble human minds realized just how much power He has that we could tap into! It is mind-boggling. I think most of us are tapping into only a minuscule portion.
So don’t be afraid to ask God for exactly what you need, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. He desires for us to call upon Him in all things.
He is the God that cares for you! You never know how He may want to bless you! Even with something as simple as parting the “Red Sea” for a train!
