You Get What You Ask For

Recently I was in a reflection class. This had to do with a test we had just written that week. Basically we had to write down our our preparation method, study time, and our expected test mark before we got the test back, and comment on the fairness of the test. Afterwards we would have to write how we felt about this in retrospect.

Ironically, the expected mark I wrote down is the exact mark I got after all the adjustments were made.

This made me think. Do we get what we ask for?

Perhaps, sometimes.

James 4:2 tells us, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”

Plainly, if you don’t ask, you won’t have.

John confirms:

“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24

So we need to ask, but what about the “how” component? How does this affect things?

1 John 5:14-15 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” James 1:6

So according to these two verses, there is some criteria to how we should ask. Our requests need to be in accordance with God’s will. And when we ask, we must have faith in the One of whom we make our request.

So we need to ask, but for what?

A great place to start would be asking for wisdom. Ultimately this is even helpful in knowing what else to ask for. And God promises this in abundance.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5

Likewise, when asking for salvation of others, this promise is sure:

“Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” Psalm 2:8

Basically, if the request is for something that is for our all-encompassing best good, God will not withhold it from us.

Matthew 7:11 “ If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

Inspired writing tells us the following:

“Christ’s lessons in regard to prayer should be carefully considered...He shows what is the true spirit of prayer, He teaches the necessity of perseverance in presenting our requests to God, and assures us of His willingness to hear and answer prayer.” – {COL 142.2}

We need to ask. And ask again. And never give up, so long as we are asking within God’s will.

“Our prayers are not to be a selfish asking, merely for our own benefit. We are to ask that we may give. The principle of Christ’s life must be the principle of our lives...We are to ask blessings from God that we may communicate to others. The capacity for receiving is preserved only by imparting. We cannot continue to receive heavenly treasure without communicating to those around us.” – {COL 142.3}

So once again that thought stays with me...

Have you asked? Enough?

He Wrote in Sand

Sand.
He wrote in sand.
The canvas: dusty.
The picture: grim.
The message: grace.

Sand, the dust of the earth, out of which we were formed. And Jesus write in sand, the perfect canvas. Their secrets were dark, but He wrote them in sand. Thus He sculpted a powerful message. The story of their lives was not carved in rock, not proverbially set in stone. No, He wrote in sand. A medium so changeable, that a mere breath of wind could erase the letters. The tiniest wavelet could wash them away.  It would be as if they had never been written. 

And there the lesson solidifies.
The sins are written, yes. 
But the canvas of your life is not stone.
It can be washed clean by the Blood. 
Blown away completely by the Breath of Life.
The darkest history, erased.

There is mercy enough, and to spare. 
And you can choose the new story He will write.

Not our past, but our God, defines us.

God Lent Me His Piano

The beginning of August found me rather dejected, hopeless, wondering what had possessed me to even start this. An out-of-tune piano, final exam one month away, and pieces sounding more like they were falling apart than coming together...

Then more bad news, as if the situation couldn't get worse. 

The tuners finally came that first week of August, and to my dismay, I learned that the church piano would have to be moved out to the hall for an entire month. As a church pianist, the last thing I wanted was to have to hammer out the notes on an old piano with sticking keys. But the examining body uses our church piano, and wanted it perfectly tuned, so the replacement was moved into the church, and the main piano placed in the hall, not to be moved for a month.

Little did I know what a blessing this small inconvenience would prove to be.

Our tuned piano at home was an improvement on what it had been, but it proved impossible to get final exam pieces and even scales up to standard on it. Yet now a wonderful opportunity afforded itself. I was able to go to the church hall every day, and practice on that beautiful, exam-quality piano. God's piano.

Then it was that it hit me. 
God, the King of the Universe, was willing to have a substandard piano in His house of worship so that a girl could practice for her exam. 

To my shame, I spent more of the month with that piano than I did with the One who so graciously lent it to me. Yet my music fell far short of perfection. And it made me think... Perfection requires agonizing, struggling, striving. And still I cannot attain. 
All my own righteousness is but filthy rags. (Is 64:6) 
Only Christ can perform it in me. 
Despite my unfaithfulness, His love remains unchanged. 
He still calls to my wayward heart. (Jer 31:3) 
He, the Author of music, can compose something perfect, beautiful, out of this discordant note.

And this, this, is what He longs most of all to accomplish.

God lent me His piano.

Will I lend Him my life?

A blog behind the blog: where it all started

A life-changing journey started for me in May this year when a friend sent me the link for some sermons on www.audioverse.org. After listening to that series, I went on to listen to another series by Sebastien Braxton, entitled “Till I Die: A Study on the Commonality of Tears, Blood, and Sweat”. I had been praying for a ministry, but had no idea what I could do, and was always thinking of challenges as to why I couldn’t do this or that.  As I listened to the messages, suddenly hit me- I could write! So this blog is the result, and it is my prayer that it may be a blessing and encouragement as we seek to reflect the image of Jesus.