“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
Man, that is fantastic news! Have your wish list ready? I once prayed for a job on a Monday night and got a call from my current employer on Tuesday morning. Now that’s how it’s supposed to work, right? (Never mind that I’d been looking for a job for a good six months.)
And, sometimes, God does hand us just what we want. But I’m realizing that far more often, God gives us what we want after LOTS of hard work. Look at Joshua. In chapter 1, God tells him, “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.”
Wait a minute. As God promised WHO? Moses asked and Joshua received. God fulfilled His promise in His own time. I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping I get what I ask for–not someone who comes along after me.
And then, God just handed all that land over to Joshua, right? Ta-da! The promised land. Nope. Joshua had to slaughter city after city full of people to claim what God had given Him. And when he jumped the gun and went into battle without talking it over with God first, bad things happened.
I can look back and make a long list of the things I ask God for that He has given me. My job, my home, my health, my husband, I even asked for the dog. But here’s the thing, there’s been a great deal of work and patience wrapped up in each and every one of those. And they don’t look exactly like I pictured . . . a high-energy terrier mix? Really? (I just paused in my writing to go take the bath mat  away from her–she’ll eat it yet.)
So. I will continue to ask God for my current dream–publication. But I’m going in with my eyes open–ready to work hard, to wait for His timing, and to see it happen in a way I can’t quite picture from here.
What have you asked for and received? How hard did you have to work for it?