Ask

Ask

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

I AMBLED ALONG THE BEACH, my eyes scanning the undulating waves for shells as my family frolicked in the surf fifty yards ahead. I was too late, and I knew it. I had always wanted to find a big, perfect shell—the spiral kind—but we’d missed low tide and fellow beachcombers were out in droves.

This is pointless. Finding a shell today would be a miracle. My internal dialogue snagged momentarily on the word miracle before continuing. Lord, this is silly, but could I please find a shell, the spiral kind?

God has far more important things to do than sending me a seashell. But I’m practicing asking God, to keep a running dialogue with him throughout the day—in the big and the small.

The overwhelming theme in Scripture about prayer is summed up in two words: ask God (see Matthew 7:7). And when we ask, we should be consistent and persistent. Prayer is our most powerful spiritual tool, despite our not fully understanding the why or how behind it. And yet we hesitate to ask because we are afraid God will be offended or bothered or because we don’t want to waste God’s time, or we’re afraid to ask because God might not answer, at least not in the way we want.

I’ve prayed heart wrenchingly desperate prayers that weren’t answered in the way that I hoped. Asking doesn’t mean God will respond with exactly what we’ve requested. But Scripture is clear: God hears us when we ask, he tells us to ask, and something happens in the spiritual realm when we dialogue with God.

As my thoughts swirled on the mysteries of prayer, my eyes snagged on a small depression carved in the sand already submerged by the incoming tide. And in that trench lay a perfect, beautiful, spiral shell waiting for me to pick it up.

Lord, may we set aside our excuses and approach you with our requests as small children ask their parents—knowing you are loving, good, and generous. Amen.

-Julie

One Good Step: Practice dialoguing with God while in the shower, while driving to the grocery store, or during other quiet, small snatches of time. Practice asking for small delights amid more serious requests.