“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened unto you. For every one that asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?” Matthew 7:7-11
This week I want to revisit the process we went through to find the cabin we’ve been renting for 18 years. As I said in my last post, a cabin we could go back to year after year and make family memories was something Dan and I really desired and had prayed about often. If that was all we had done I doubt that we ever would have found one.
These verses in Matthew show a progression.
Asking – To me this means seeking the Lord’s will in prayer; making our desires known to the Lord and asking Him to provide or to change our hearts if this isn’t something He has for us.
Seeking – In this situation it meant reading newspaper ads and asking friends and family if they knew anyone who had a cabin they wanted to rent. One summer we drove to a number of resorts and looked over what they had available. Even though we didn’t think we wanted to be in a resort setting, we were checking out all our options.
Knocking – We made reservations and stayed at several different places, as I mentioned in my last post. We didn’t just sit around and wait for the Lord to “drop” something into our laps. We kept praying that He would reveal what He had for us, since He often has different ideas of what we actually need, and we were open to having Him change our desires before He fulfilled them.
Often times I’m guilty of just asking and expecting the Lord to provide without me doing my part of seeking and knocking. In this instance our seeking and knocking took several years.
When it takes years to see a desire fulfilled my tendency is to give up – to grow weary and just give up. This almost happened the year we rented a cabin that had fleas in one of the bedrooms. What a mess that was! It was very discouraging.
I know Dan was hesitant to try again when I found this ad in a local Christian newspaper. He was weary, and so was I, but I also had just a glimmer of hope that this might be the one. It turned out to be all we had hoped for and more.
One of the biggest blessings has been that we are within just a few miles of so many family members. We’ve done a lot of entertaining during our stays here because both Dan and I have family and friends in the area and this cabin has been the ideal place for us all to gather. We know Dan’s aunts and cousins so much better than we would have if had to rely on “visits” specifically to see them. They just count on our being here this time of year and we make provisions to get together.
Last night we visited an old friend whose wife died this past year. He owns over 100 acres of beautiful wooded land and we were talking about how they bought it. He told us they used to bike in that area. This land and farm home was vacant for over two years and he and his wife often said, “Who in the world would ever buy that mess?” Then his wife received an inheritance and they began looking for some land with a small home on it. Their realtor took them – you guessed it – to this very land. As they looked at it with new eyes, they realized it was just what they wanted and that the Lord had held it for them for over two years. They’ve remodeled this old farm house into a quiet retreat of a home that they have used to bless many weary travelers. It’s always one of our favorite places to visit during our time here.
What is it that you have desired for the Lord to provide? Are you asking? Seeking? Knocking? Are you being persistent and patient? The Lord’s provision is perfect in every way.
I want to encourage you today to be busy doing your part while you wait on the Lord.
Finding Joy in the Journey,
Phyllis
Phyllis Sather
Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
http://www.Phyllis-Sather.com
© 2008 Phyllis Sather
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Contact me at: Phyllis@Phyllis-Sather.com
