Ask & You Shall Receive
My heart is so full ladies. What a providing Father we serve. I'm going to leave that right there for you to ponder over.
I was writing a completely different blog, was basically finished and then BAM - I knew I needed to go in a different direction. I think so often when I blog I want to write about the struggle in life that God has helped me get through. I do feel that in the pain there is beauty. You never know who needed to hear the advice that was given; however life isn't just about the struggles. So here is my new blog post; quickly written as my heart was pulled in a different direction on some short notice! What can you do!? So, sit back, drink some tea and let's just talk about the blessings from our Lord and Savior.
This year has been moving so fast, but everywhere I look God is teaching me something new. I have found that when you look for Jesus in your daily life, He is more than happy to show up in everything (rocket science right?). I've been making it a point to be vocal with Him that I want Him in my every day life; that I want to see His glory and to be closer to Him then I have ever been. And wow, He has been shaking my world in the best way!
The people He has been bringing into my life, the people He has kept in my life, my career, and my church. God has been opening doors, closing the wrong ones and clearing the fog from my head.
Lately, the Lord has been showing me that He is a simple God. We as humans are the ones who over complicate Him. By simple I mean that He literally gives us a guide line - the Bible - and He's not asking us to come up with our own opinions of what The Word is saying. He tells us everything we need to know, point blank.
I really want to share a testimony that goes along with the topic "ask and you shall receive".
The last couple years I have really struggled with my finances. I have made some unwise investments, spent too much money on clothes when I should have put more in savings, and I recently felt the weight of drowning in debt. I pay one thing off and another items' interest goes up, it's just a revolving door. I have been praying over my finances in that the Lord will give me wisdom where I spend and guide me in saving money. I've never been good at this. However, He has always provided and He is getting my feet back on the ground and steady in His arms.
Long story short, there is this conference coming up that I have really been wanting to attend. It's with my old congregation that I attended as a child (my parents and younger brother still attend there. It will always be a home to me) and my family is attending this conference. I had been planning to go but continued to put off buying the ticket as each pay check came one day and was gone the next. The ticket was not in my price range at all. I felt hopeless in ever being able to purchase it. Eventually it was going to sell out and my family would just have to let me know how it was.
Later on into the month I attended a service with my parents, as I was singing for communion that day. I had no idea that a very old friend had flown in from Israel to visit his mom for her birthday and he was going to be giving the sermon. At the end of his sermon he asked that anyone that needed prayer come up and receive it.
I waited as crowds of people went up for prayer. I knew I was suppose to ask for prayer over my finances, but I was embarrassed that at 24 (25 on may 13th!!!) I was struggling with being on my own and hadn't made anything of myself. Once it was my turn I let him know what was on my heart. Reluctantly, I asked that he would pray for my finances and that I would be wiser with where I put my investments. Then out of nowhere I let him know about the conference and that I knew I was suppose to go but continued to not be able to buy my ticket due to bills upon bills continuously popping up with no end. I don't know why I felt I should be so specific with him, but I just starting blurting it out before I knew what I was saying. He prayed over me and I felt such a huge peace come over me. I knew my Heavenly Father heard my heart, and He would provide. I knew somehow, I was going to be able to go to this conference. After prayer, my friend and I talked for a little longer and as he was saying goodbye he handed me the money that I needed for the ticket. I was so overwhelmed! My eyes started to well up and I got all emotional and weepy! Of course he was probably thinking "Run away! Run away!," but he gave me a hug and we said our final goodbye. I walked over to my best friend and we cried together. God did it again... He blessed me in a miraculous way.
Ladies, I think sometimes we think our weaknesses and burdens are shameful and embarrassing so we keep them inside. We pray for deliverance and guidance from Jesus but we don't want anyone else to know we are struggling. Here's the thing, Matthew 7:7 says "“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you". Don't block God from blessing you through someone else. Don't block someone else from being used by The Lord to bless you! Fear is a nasty thing! Don't allow fear to keep you from a blessing! Does this mean that if you let someone know you want a new car (in your mind your hoping they have a spare car for you) then they will provide you with a new car? Not exactly. What I am saying is that God is not a complicated God - He says "ask and you shall receive". Be real with Him, let Him know where you are struggling. He just may send that very special person to be used as a vessel for the glory of His Kingdom.