Back in February, someone told me something that I found pretty funny and wanted to share with you.  They had passed a church sign that said, "Whoever is praying for snow, your prayer was answered so STOP asking!"  I remember thinking how beautiful the snow fall was on February 5th, the night we got 26 inches dumped on us, "Thank You God for the beauty of this snow!'  That of course was before we lost power, but even then it was still an adventure, even as we woke up to still no power, spent the entire day snow plowing my drive, and going to bed in the cold, still with no power.

I must admit, going through the entire next day without power, and with more snow made me a little less enthused with God's good gift.  Waking up to yet another day with more snow and no power, put me in full agreement with the sentiment of WHOEVER IT IS, STOP ASKING!  I also recognize that I did my family didn't have it as bad as some.  Nevertheless, now that our WHITE WINTER is over, let's hope that no one asks for a HOT SUMMER (Belinda Eber, this means YOU!)

But, with all joking aside, this does help us focus on our understanding of prayer, and how we can often be surprised in what manner God answers our prayers.  Several weeks ago, my sermon scripture included Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."  This is a great verse to remember, and to engrave on your heart, because it speaks to God's loving relationship with us as His beloved children.  I don't know about you, but when my kids ask for something, it is hard for me to say "no."  My default desire is to say "yes."  However, I do say "no" because at times, sometimes more often than not, they will ask for things that wouldn't be good for them.  They have really gotten into reading old "Calvin and Hobbes" comics.  The problem with that is Calvin was a little hellion, who would commonly ask his mother or father; "where do we keep the fire extinguisher, sledgehammer, or the emergency medical kit."  So, the kids have started asking the same kind of things, hopefully to be funny, but it makes me wonder.  However, even when they ask to stay up late, or go outside without a jacket, or not eat their vegetables, I find myself giving them the things they ask for, but the things they need.  God does the same thing for us.

Most of us at one time or another have asked God for something that we WANTED and not what we NEEDED.  What has been God's response at these times?  Does He get angry at us for asking, does He say "yes," "no," or has he said, "wait?"  Sometimes, God even revamps the entire substance of our prayer and says "yes" in a way we didn't even imagine.  Sometimes, God answers the prayer in the exact way we ask it, like "God , let us have a WHITE WINTER," only to have us recognize that we need to be careful for what we ask God, because He might indeed answer us.  However, ultimately, God answers us according to His wonderful, holy, and perfect will that enables us to come closer to Him and His Purpose for our lives.  That is in fact, the essential point of our asking, seeking, and knocking; to understand God's Will for our lives.

God does indeed answer our prayers by transforming us to understand and be conformed to His Will.  This can be difficult to understand, especially in times of hardship, trial , or tribulation because we believe that God should immediately relieve us from any pain or suffering that we are experiencing.  In no way does God revel in our suffering and pain, and I believe He shares that pain and suffering, just as we would as parents, if our children were in pain.  But, just as we cannot always take away the pain of our children when they do something outside of our plans for them, God can't take away the consequences of the sin in the world that either we bring upon ourselves or affect us because of the world's fallen state.  Isn't it GREAT that despite all this, God continues to hold us in the palm of His hand, and loves us despite anything we do.  That in itself is a wonderful witness that we can share in our own relationship with our children.

As we enjoy the spring, and await to see if anyone prays for a HOT SUMMER, let each of us continue to ask, seek, and knock so that our relationship with God grows and matures.  Let us also open ourselves to the transformation that God offers, even as we strive to comprehend His Will for our lives.  The one thing we can be assured of, it that regardless of what happens, God in Christ has something good planned for our lives, because that is the promise we are given.

In the Love of Jesus Christ, Pastor Bob