Ask
I recently drew an acrostic of the verse “Ask, and it shall be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you.”
ASK
As I doodled, I thought about the word “ask”.
So much of our prayer lives are in the asking category. This verse encourages us to ask, to seek, to knock. There is a persistence in that, and a promise of an outcome.
I’m asking, praying, as I write this. It is always good to ask for wisdom, for direction.
But I also thought about the mindset of our culture, a mindset of entitlement. In many ways this has been broken down in this season of pandemic, and climate calamities, and human unrest and disagreements, where suffering has become more prevalent.
And yes, people pray for relief. A returning to what we see as “normal”.
But I often wonder, are we asking for the wrong things?
The outer turmoil evident, I’ve been thinking more and more about my inner state of mind, the health of the heart, and soul. Could we pray for a deep abiding peace, a settledness in unsettled times?
The asking changes focus when we seek the heart of God.
In this time of winter, I think of the bulbs surrounded by the dirt, dark and cold. But there is life there. Transformation and growth most often take place in the dark; in the womb, in the seed, in the cocoon.
Perhaps asking also means becoming quiet, listening for our Creator’s whisper in the dark.
Instead of taking this verse as licence for our wish lists, our desires, perhaps there is an invitation to pursue the heart of God, to ask for wisdom how to live.
There is an invitation to go deeper. I am always in awe that God desires relationship, this indwelling of the holy, these whispers of love. Yes, these are wonderful things to ask for, today, and everyday.
