Right away, I began asking God for a job for my brother and for a few more kids for my mom's daycare. This seemed like the logical and spiritual thing to do. In Matthew 7:7 (NLT), Jesus even says, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for?" If you need something, you ask…right?
>> Fastforward to just a few weeks ago >>
A friend of mine messaged me on Facebook and asked if I had read "The Circle Maker" by Mark Batterson because she thought that it would be a great book for me to read as I prepare for The World Race. Little did she know that I had just downloaded it onto my iPad a day earlier! I responded back thanking and explaining to her that the message she sent me was just another confirmation that I should read it.
As of right now, I have 90 pages left until I am finished; however, the first 205 have already been well worth my time. I learned about Honi the Circle Maker, a man from ancient times who was bold enough to draw a circle in the sand and not budge from inside of it until God answered his prayers for his people. In the book, we are encouraged to adopt the prayer habits of Honi and draw prayer circles around our biggest dreams and biggest fears.
There has been one quote in the book that has stuck with me for a while now. Here is what it says:
The next day, my brother was offered a job. He started the following week. Just this past Thursday, my mom had an interview with a family who has a newborn. After the family talked to my mom, they decided that she would be perfect to care for their brand new baby girl!
"Sometimes you have to quit praying. You have to quit asking God to do something and start praising Him for what He has already done."
It says "sometimes" for a reason. I still believe that if want want something that lines up with the will of God, we still need to ask Him for it. He wants to know how badly we want it, and He wants to know that we realize that we need His help in achieving whatever it is we're asking of Him. While we're waiting, we still need to thank Him for every little step of progress we make towards our ultimate goal. And once we are there, we need to praise Him for carrying us through.
I could ask God everyday to get me fully funded. However, I know He is going to pull through. He wouldn't have called me to go on The World Race if He wasn't going to provide. I still ask Him to get me there, but since I started reading "The Circle Maker", I have been thanking much more than I've been asking. I thank Him in advance for the day that I can shout from the rooftops, "I AM FULLY FUNDED." I also thank Him for every donation that has come through whether it's one dollar or one thousand dollars. I thank Him for the support that I've received from my family and closest friends. I thank Him for choosing me to take part in expanding His Kingdom.
