Just Ask

I am continually awed at the way the Lord speaks to my heart when I need to hear from Him most.  Why haven't I learned to expect this, yet?  Every time this has happened, I think, "Wow, I can't believe God answered me!"  I'm pretty sure this is not how He wants us to feel.  Why don't I just anticipate this will happen every time I need Him.  He has always provided for me when I needed Him.  So here's what I discovered today, as once again He pointed me to Scriptures that showed me exactly what I needed to hear.

 

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (James 1:5-8)  In other translations, double-minded is replaced with indecisive. . . . YEP, that's me, with a capital M-E!!!  If you know me real well, you're probably laughing as you read this!  I am one of the most indecisive people ever, which has made this last year ultra difficult.  So, what do these verses tell this indecisive mind to do?  ASK God for wisdom!  Isn't that exactly what I needed anyway?  If I'm so indecisive, and having such a hard time knowing what the Lord has planned for me, then why am I not asking Him for wisdom?  But here's the catch: I can't just ask for wisdom on one side of my head, while the other side is thinking, 'there's no point in asking since He won't provide anyway.'  That's exactly why He doesn't grant it!!  Instead, I need to ask with confidence, knowing full well that He is faithful to give wisdom.  Just a little bit of wisdom?  What does the verse say again?  He gives GENEROUSLY!  How amazing is that?  He's going to blow my mind with His provision every time I confidently ask, while believing full well that He will blow my mind with His provision! Did you catch that?  If not, read it again.  I don't know about you, but I want my mind to be blown away on a daily basis!

 Earlier tonight I was in the middle of a crisis.  I decided to work on my bible study on the book of James (Beth Moore), to try to clear my head.  As I am turning pages in my Bible to a passage outside the book of James, I turned too far and found myself in the middle of Jeremiah.  Coincidence?  I don't think so!  I know everyone quotes the first verse of this passage, maybe a little too much.  However, verses 12 and 13 caught my eye, which are all too often overlooked.  "'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. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.'" (Jeremiah 29:11-13) God isn't just going to prosper my future without something in return.  He wants me to seek Him through prayer.  But more than that, He wants me to seek Him with "all my heart."  It was at this point in the day's lesson that I felt a strong urge to pack up my things and begin to pray over what was on my heart.  Of course, I believe the Lord has great plans for my future, and I know He has granted me abundant hope, but I can't forget that I need to continually seek Him with all my heart.  He wants to hear from me.  I don't know about any of you, but not only do I want to hear from Him, it says I will find Him, too!  The times I have found God the most are when I'm reading my Bible, or in this case, getting way off course in my search for a verse!  I guess being sidetracked isn't always a bad thing?!

 

This is my favorite part of this whole experience.  After my time seeking the Lord, I reopened my study book so I could finish the day's lesson.  I looked again to see what passage I was supposed to find.  Here it is: "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)  At this point, I think my jaw hit the counter!!!  I mean, really?  REALLY?  Wasn't that what I just did?  Could that be why I felt such a strong urge to stop right then to seek the Lord?  I'm thinking, yes!  WHEW!  Can you tell I'm a little excited about all of this?  I love seeing how God speaks to His children! 

As I end this, I want to leave you with a quote by Beth Moore in this study on the book of James.  "Faith receives more than it asks.  Doubt loses more than it disbelieved."  We have two options: choose to believe by faith that the Lord will provide, or live in disbelief that He can't or won't do it.  Personally, I'd rather believe and be wrong, than doubt and never find out.