Thankful Thursday--asking

Tonight I'm thankful that we can ask God for anything. Ten minutes into a thirty minute drive, I realized that Hope was going to get hungry...now. Ugh. I dreaded 20 minutes of crying, trying to reach back to comfort her, wondering if it was worth the big kids getting to bed late so we could stop and feed her.

Patrick heard my sigh as I reached for the spat-out pacifier, and said, "Why don't you pray for Hope?"

Duh...why DON'T I pray??

So I did. I threw up a quick "God, you stretched the widow's flour and oil to last for a famine, and fed thousands with a kid's lunch. Stretch Hope's last feeding until we get home."

And He did. There were a few squaks, then she fell asleep...until about two minutes after we got into the house.

James 4:2b: You do not have, because you do not ask God.

So why DON'T I pray??

Sometimes I think the problem is too trivial--why would God care if we have to listen to a crying child, or that Hope is hungry?

Sometimes I think the problem is my fault--I should have realized Hope would get hungry, and fed her before I left. I made my bed, shouldn't I have to sleep in it?

Sometimes I think the problem is too big--I'm sure someone else has already prayed for it, so what difference would my prayer make?

The good news is, I'm wrong.

Matthew 7:7-11:

"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; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

So I'm thankful that there is no prayer too trivial for God to answer. I'm thankful that God doesn't punish me by denying prayers because it's the natural consequence of my bad decisions. I'm thankful that God does listen to our prayers, both big and small...even when He doesn't answer in the way I'd expect.


Thanks, God, that you are a great daddy, and you love to give good gifts to your children. Forgive me, for not asking more, for minimizing my needs, relying on my own abilities. Help me to bring everything, everything to You in prayer.