Asking and Receiving

This morning (Wednesday), Janette asked me what time I was going to make our reservations for our summer vacation. I’ve been “going to do it” for the last month, but I got the hint, figured out the details, and made the reservations this afternoon. Most of you probably know, but we are planning to go to Disney World ® this summer. We’ve been saving for several years, and the boys have been talking about it for the last year or so.

After I got all the details nailed down with the agent, I let her know I was a AAA member, and asked about the discount. She informed me that we could not get the AAA discount on the rooms when they’re part of a package. So, I asked her what the cost would be to do it separately. She paused for a minute and then came back with a discount she could use (it was even better than the AAA discount). I’m glad I asked, because we saved over $500 on the package! If I hadn’t asked, we would have paid far more than we had to.

This reminded me of Jesus’ words, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) John records it a little differently: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7) Based on the difference in context, I suspect that Jesus spoke these similar things at different times. In John, the context is about bearing fruit for Christ. He also qualifies our asking by our abiding in Him. In either case, I believe that the receiving comes when we are asking and praying like Jesus instructed us: “Thy will be done.” (Mt. 6:10)

Still, the question remains, are we abiding AND asking? If we’re not abiding in Him, our asking often proves fruitless. Or, if we are abiding, but not asking … what might we be missing out on? I don’t mean to sound like Bruce Wilkinson (The Prayer of Jabez) but, still, I wonder… Lord, please do your will in and through your people here at Dayton Center Church.
In His grip,
Pastor Decker