Yesterday, I was challenged by this question: How
much do we leave on the table with God simply because of our lack of faith? The inquiry resonated deep within me because
God has already been busy shaping my heart in this area.
Several times in the past month, as I’ve worried
myself silly about my own lack of ability, energy, time, etc., I’ve been
stopped short by the Holy Spirit who quietly whispers in my ear, “Just ask,
sweetie. Simply ask Me for what you
need.” And I have had my socks blown off
by His rapid and overwhelming response to my pleas. Even more surprisingly, I’ve asked with such
small and shaky faith. How patient He is
with me! Why do I so easily forget how
big my God is? How does it slip my mind
that He loves to give extravagantly good gifts to His precious children? Where is the boldness of my faith?
In the same breath, there is a balance that is absolutely
essential to this boldness: a deep and
abiding reverence for the sovereign will of God. A knee that quickly bows in submission to the
inevitable “no” that will occasionally come from His throne room. I refuse to ever ascribe to the “name it and
claim it” brand of religion that cheapens the amazing grace of God and
completely ignores the Biblical theology of suffering. I cannot possibly comprehend His master
plan. His authority is absolute. And sometimes my requests will be to Him like
a child’s plea for candy ten minutes
before dinner, or the cries of a little
girl who cannot understand why she can’t play at the park that backs up to a
busy road.
All the same, I would rather hear a thousand “no”s from God than to miss even one “yes.” I
would rather burst through the gates of heaven to hear, “Well done, My good and
feisty servant,” than to enter paradise only
to find that I’ve left a world of possibilities on His table.
God seems to be determined to expand my vision of
His power and intimate care lately, and it’s starting to settle into my
heart. It’s making me bolder…and more
humble. It fills me with a frequent
desire to lift my hands to the sky and tell Him how amazed I am by Him. And isn’t that the essence of knowing
Him? We bring to Him the little bit that
we have, He breathes His presence into it until it throbs with life, and we
lift our hands in worship.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” ~Hebrews 4:16
1 comment:
Interesting, God's timing. This is the same lesson that I feel like I'm being taught right now. "Just ask." And know that He'll "breathe His presence into it." Very cool post.
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