Matthew 7:7-12
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 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 good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
I've asked for many things from God. A job, a home, the money to come in, a husband, a child, direction, hope, healing, protection, forgiveness and peace.
I know what it is to seek. I've looked for the meaning, purpose, the nuggets of truth, the words, the hope, the joy, the path.
I have even knocked. I knock wondering if He's home. Does He hear my pounding? Maybe He's too busy. Should I leave a note saying I was there? Should I come back in 5 minutes, next week, next year?
Sometimes when you ask, He answers with His voice. Sometimes when you look, you find exactly what you were looking for. Sometimes when you knock, the door opens wide.
No. Not sometimes.
He showed me today that not sometimes, but always. It was His reminder to me in the midst of my greatest doubts.
I've never prayed for something so trivial as what I prayed for today. And while I walked to find what I was seeking, not only did I stumble upon what I was looking for, it was better than what I expected.
Sounds nice, I know. Here is what actually happened. It won't sound so beautiful once you hear how trivial it is.
This month we do not have a shower. That's ok. I've learned how to take strange showers this year: in the rain, my 5 cups of water shower, showers that merely dribble, hot and cold bucket showers, freezing cold showers, boiling hot showers that are too hot to bear, baby wipe showers, Japanese Onsen showers, sulfur showers and this month, no shower. This is not a big deal and I haven't been concerned.
(and this is not the first time I've blogged about showering)
Malaysia: http://jenmchutchion.theworldrace.org/?filename=dirty-rain-showers
Japan: http://jenmchutchion.theworldrace.org/?filename=when-in-japan
We were entertained with the idea of purchasing a gym membership so we could shower. It was, however, a taxi ride away and had community showers. Been there done that (thank you, Japan). While I was walking and praying over Sombor, I decided to pray with Kara over whether or not to purchase a membership to the gym. I asked, "God would you give us a shower?" I actually thought maybe we would make a friend that would let us come over to her house to use their shower that morning. While we prayed on our journey to find a morning coffee house, we laughed about our silly prayers and then were sober about the heavy ones.
We went to the top of a building where we were told had a coffee house that was just a 10 minute walk from our church. But there was no coffee house. Instead the grins on our faces and the laughter surprised us because instead we saw a big gym. We went in and found the most beautiful, private showers we have seen this entire year and maybe even better than at home. We bought an inexpensive membership for the month almost immediately.
I've never prayed for something so silly. And I'm so glad I did. God, my Father loves to lavish us with His great love in the moments to show us: Yes, I'm here every time you ask, seek, knock. I am answering you, you will find Me and the door is opening.
He was there too when it wasn't so silly.
Four days ago, we traveled to Serbia by a night train. I can't decide if the Chinese train was worse. I didn't know the Chinese train would ever have competition. I won't explain all of the frustrating details that eventually secured our sleeping cabin on the train. Just know that we barely made it on in time and left most of us with headaches from confusion and frustration. To our delight we had a cabin with sheets, pillows, blankets and the coolest 3 levels of bunk beds so that we could all actually lay down and sleep for the next 10 hours. We couldn't sit, but we could lay down. I was happy and relieved. There was even a window that we opened so that it wouldn't be so stuffy. I am usually the one who is known to not be able to sleep on travel days. But not that night. I had almost no sleep in Bulgaria and my body ached for sleep. Once we were in our beds, I was out.
It was at 2:15 am that it happened. Lindsey was in the middle bunk and began to shriek out in the most horrifying fear. I heard pounding and I thought she fell out of her bunk. She wouldn't stop. It took me so long to turn around and I think all four of the rest of us were screaming too out of shock and began to try to calm her down. She would not be calmed down though. She was yelling out something about a man trying to get on the train. I didn't understand how she could see someone climbing on the train from where she was laying down. Just then an employee came to our door and she begged him to come it. I was terrified that she was letting a man come in. Was this the man she was screaming about? I was still confused and frightened. She yelled at him that a man tried to climb in our car through the window and she demonstrated that he was half way inches from her face in when she screamed in horror.
Needless to say, we closed our window for the rest of the night regardless how stifling it became. I was so drowsy, but every time the train stopped, I looked up to see Lindsey still peering out the window to make sure no one would come in.
We couldn't believe what had happened and shared the good news that even though the welcome was rough to Serbia, we made it safe and sound the following day with our families.
My nieces did the math back in Michigan. She looked up the time difference and recollected her family's humble prayers the night before for my train ride to Serbia at the exact time the man came in through our window. My sister called me up the next day to tell me how God heard their prayers while we were sleeping.
Those prayers were proof that His timing, which maybe to my team seemed a bit late, was the exact moment that Lindsey needed to turn over and wake up to see that man in her face. Not a split second more could have been wasted to see how God chose to wake a restless sleeping woman of God in a couchette car in Serbia.
So God proves that He is sovereign.
He proves to me that He both hears us and gives us the desires of our heart to indeed bless us.
Why then do I even begin to question those prayers I've been praying for years and haven't heard the response or seen the proof or had the door opened for me?
His timing is accurate. And He desires to bless us. These two things are all I need to keep on asking, seeking, knocking.
I wept in the shower at my gym this afternoon. It was indeed the most private shower this year, most clean, most beautiful, most regulated water temperate of the year. It had a shower door! What's that?! And most importantly, there was no toilet right next to me in my shower for once.
I asked Him for a shower today. I never knew a shower could be so holy. And I never felt more like a child of God.
Our funny pictures we took right after our headache of getting on the train.
Here I am nearly asleep and struggling to stay awake. A miracle for me this year on travel days.
Truth.
