The task that I gave myself today was in the area of increasing my faith. I know that this is something that many people do already on a regular basis, but for me, the task is something that has proven difficult in the past. My task was to sit down for an entire hour to just read and pray. My husband took care of the kids while I took time to focus on God. And let me tell you, God sure did show me some things during that time!
It wasn't anything like mountains moving and ground shaking, but it was just subtle things that He showed me and some very important things that I may have already known, but have lost sight of. I feel like God speaks to me in these ways more of ten than not. Maybe that's just the way that I hear His voice best.
It's the simplest thing, but one thing I found while looking through my Bible was a very helpful section in the back. It gives about 10-15 lists of 30 Day Bible Studies that are arranged by subject. It has 30 Days with Jesus, 30 Days of Prayer, 30 Days of Lesser-Known Bible Stories, 30 Days of Promises and so on. I thought it was so well-organized and to the point, so I used that as a reference for my reading. It's amazing what you find when you just take time to look.
One of the last scriptures I read based on one of the 30 Days of Prayer was Luke 11:7-13. The scripture states:
And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
“So I say to you: 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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
What really stood out to me was verses 9-10, in bold above. Now I have heard this scripture before, but I heard it a bit differently this morning as I read it aloud in my quiet time. Before I understood it to mean exactly what it says - if you ask, you will receive, if you seek, you will find, and if you knock, the door will open. Today, when I read it, God showed me that if I don't ask, I cannot receive. If I don't seek, I cannot find. And if I don't knock, the door will not open!
In other words, I can walk up to the door and stare at it all I want, but if I don't knock, how will it open? So many times, we have opportunities to seek God's plan for our lives and we don't act on it. Maybe it's because of fear, maybe because of being too busy, maybe for a lack of understanding, or maybe even out of laziness. The point is that in order for God to do a work in our lives, we have to put some work into it! I feel like there is a recurring theme in what God is saying to me lately! Anyone else?
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