1ST WEEK OF LENT

Ask . . . ; seek . . . ; knock. 

There are a lot of less than ideal things we do just to save time. Fast-food restaurants are convenient, but we know that they’re not as nutritious as a home-cooked meal. Speed-reading courses help us get through a book quickly, but we risk coming away with less depth and clarity than if we had taken our time. If you’re single, you may have even tried speed dating and ended up meeting a lot of people, but only superficially.

Clearly, there are some things you shouldn’t hurry!

That’s also true in the spiritual realm. Sometimes we want something so badly that we try to take shortcuts. Maybe we set out to find peace or fulfillment on our own when we might do better to wait for God to guide us. Later we realize that if we had taken time out to ask, seek, and knock, we would have found something far deeper, something that doesn’t ebb and flow with our circumstances.

If you want to see good and lasting results, you need to exercise your faith and trust. And sometimes that means waiting patiently for the Lord to act. When we wait on the Lord like this, it shows that we believe that he hears us. It shows that we trust that he will give us bread, not a stone (Matthew 7:9).

God will take care of you! He will answer you in the way that’s best for you—and at the time that is most helpful for you. A good father doesn’t always give his children exactly what they want when they want it. He knows it is far better to give what that child needs, when he needs it, in the way that will help him the most.

What do you need the Lord to help you with? Go ahead and ask him for it. Tell him that you’re willing to wait for his wisdom and his timing. As you do, you’ll find him eager to fulfill your needs and to further the plan he has for you in just the way he has intended. He really does want to bless you!

“Lord, open my eyes to your wisdom and generosity. Thank you for being not just a good provider but a Father who wants the very best for me and for those I love.”

Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8
Matthew 7:7-12