Now, there are a lot of directions that I could go with a title like that, but I really just want to make one point that could change everything about how you interact with God the Father.
Last night Wendy and I were on our way to hang out with some great people from The Gathering, and on the way there, Wendy opened up YouVersion on my iPhone and read the following verses to me:
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. – James 1:5-8 (NIV)
Again, there are lots of great points to be made in those 4 verses, and typically we make the ones that focus on us: we should ask, we should believe, we shouldn’t doubt, we should expect to receive. Now, I’m not discounting the fact that we have a part to play in these verses, but isn’t it amazing how much we focus on ourselves so much that we miss the one truth about God that impacts all the truths about us? As Wendy was reading it, I literally didn’t hear anything after she read that God “gives generously to all without finding fault.”
God never makes us feel stupid for not knowing. It’s almost like he expects us to need Him, and so when we do, He doesn’t freak out and get all hot and bothered because we’re putting Him out by asking Him for help again. God gives generously and God gives graciously when we ask, and that one fact should change how we relate to Him. I mean, if you and I know that every time we ask, He gives the wisdom we need, wouldn’t you ask a lot more and have a lot more faith to expect an answer? His faithfulness increase our faith, and makes it so much easier to ask with a heart that expects to receive from our Father.
The Bottom Line: God expects us to need Him, so He’s ready to give generously when we ask Him for help.
