Gracious God, awaken us to the beauty of Your presence all around us; may this dear reader see what is needed in their life. In Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.
And in King James: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
We have all seen the magical little dance done by children, usually boys, at the toy department of say, a Wal-Mart or Target. The lad will be prancing down the aisle in his own world and then aha! The holy grail or Excalibur! The child will delightfully pick up the item, swirl around in glee, and then completely transfixed upon this that he must have, begin the slow dance of delight towards his parent. He's not watching the aisle traffic, he's keeping his eye on the toy; someone, anyone, another boy, might dart out and grab this, the only toy in the world for him! So, upon reaching his mother he makes sure that mom or dad knows the importance and necessity of this toy. Then the words, "Ma! Look at this! I need this!" Ah, need for a child. Of course he needs it. He will need it from the dance from the point of mom's approval, to the checkout stand, to the car, to the home, to his room. Until the next trip to the store. Jesus in this passage is talking about our need to pray to God. That mother that may or usually will not, buy that toy, would rather have a great conversation about school, new friends, challenges or interests awakening in the life of her son/daughter. Not a one-sided demand of self-diagnosed and self-imposed need. So does God. God is so interested in our lives, we do better in our prayer talking with God about our lives and how we might improve and better serve. If we limit our prayers to the Gimme ones, we're limiting the fullness of life that can be ours. Yes, God does care and does answer our gimme prayers, but we should desire the communion and fellowship of the Lord in our lives.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for caring so much about me. As I pray right now and later today, let me be more involved in You. Let me hear from You and let me be guided and protected by You. I ask for Your presence and blessing; I seek Your hand in my life and I knock on the door of new opportunities and service. In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
