This year I have been ridiculously blessed by a God who has provided for me in every way, even when I didn’t see it. He has covered me with His grace and in learning to receive His goodness, I have found life does not have to be as hard as we tend to make it. (I’ll let you know if I ever figure out the mechanics of HOW though.)
The other day I was talking with a dear friend (you know who you are 😉 about being in Japan and how amazing God has been in providing for me.
There are so many cool things here (more than there is time for in a month, in just one city) and Japan isn’t quite as expensive as some places in the U.S. But there’s a pretty high standard of living here so things of course cost more than a lot of places I’ve been. But God has blown me away with how He’s provided for me to get to enjoy being a tourist as I transition home and continue processing what on earth it means to live a missional lifestyle.
Example: I’d planned to eat onigiri (rice balls aka cheap) for lunch when I’m out one day, then I make a new friend who I end up going out to eat with and then they pay before I can stop them (they were very sneaky about it. I almost paid but the waitress said it was already covered.) Or I’ll end up with coupons or someone points out a deal going on. I have paid for very little (cost wise) so far this month. It’s humbling and encouraging to see how God has taken care of me when I challenged Him to provide a way. And I have yet to need to ask for money here. He just keeps bringing it as things come up- even fun things that I wasn’t sure if it was ok to ask Him. But even in the fun, seemingly silly things He has valued my desires.
So I was talking to my friend who then asked me, “Are you ok? Do you need money?” It caught me by surprise. I hadn’t even thought of asking for more. I mean, there were a couple things I had wanted to do that didn’t fit in the budget. But I have been able to do and see so much. How could I ask for more? Finally I consented, saying that if she was willing, I would be grateful.
This exchange taught me something valuable: never stop asking God to fulfill the desires of your heart. Will He say no sometimes? Maybe. But His desire is to bless and love us. And He wants to blow the roof off our expectations of what He is willing to provide for us.
So I will no longer be ashamed of these things. My line of work is a little different, more reliant on other people than most occupations. But God pays my salary and His methods of providing are endless. He can do ANYTHING He wants. So why not ask for the moon? Why not ask for more than you could dream of wanting. There’s something cool that happens when you choose to trust that God loves you do much He will surpass your wildest dreams…..
I wrote this about a week ago but shelfed it for lack of an ending. Now I’m laughing because God had so much more to say about provision (more spiritual than financial this week) than I’ve been able to really pick up and grasp yet. I guess that’s part of the point- there’s always more, so much more if we’ll let Him pour into our lives.
He has more for us than we could even conceive and He’s daring us to ask for EVERYTHING. He wants us to challenge Him, question Him, ask Him for more. I mean, for Pete’s sake, He’s got all of Heaven at His disposal. It’s not like we’re going to run Him dry! He created favor and blessing. He can always make some more.
We have to get out of the poverty mindset that says, “thats too much/big, I cant ask for that” or even, “that’s too small. I won’t bother Him with that.” Did you know Jesus let himself get whipped til His bones were exposed and His skin was all nasty so that He could take on your burdens and you could let them fall at His feet?! (He did a heck of a lot more than that too!) He’d do anything for you! If you would only listen to His heart for you- you’d know what to ask for so that He could bless your stinkin socks off.
So today I’d like to challenge you to ask God to give you more favor than you know what to do with. Get specific, ask for anything and everything. See what He does. LISTEN FOR HIS RESPONSE. And don’t give up. He’s not afraid of an arguement. He’s never going to change His heart, but He will change His disision in your favor if you mean business.
I always said I wanted to fight for Japan but I never really pushed for it till it seemed like God took it away. It took one of the most honest moments of my life (the first of many times I’ve cussed Him out, asking why I still love and trust Him) for me to get the guts to tell Him all of what I really wanted.
And while there are things I have yet to receive from what I asked for that night, I know that I can trust His promise to be faithful and I can keep asking as long as I’m willing to receive what He has for me. Because He is good and He loves to listen to everything I have to say. And He LOVES it when I step out and challenge Him to keep His promise. I can just see His proud smile saying, “that’s my girl- She never gives up; just like me.”
So ask for the moon! I dare you~
