My husband, Jeff, and I spent a few days last week in the hospital with our 13-year-old son, Ryan, who had reconstructive surgery done on his left foot. Per hospital policy, one parent was allowed to spend the night in the room with their child. Jeff spent the first night and I took the second.When I arrived back at the hospital after Jeff’s night with Ryan, I asked Jeff how he’d slept. “Not well,” was his answer. Smiling, he continued, “It seemed like every time I dozed off, Ryan reached over and poked me to wake me up because he needed something.”
Later, after Jeff went back to the room we were staying in to catch a nap, I commented to Ryan, “I hear Dad didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
Apologetically, he said, “Yeah, that would be my fault. I kept waking him up.”
I looked him right in the eye and said very deliberately, “That’s okay. That’s what we’re here for.” Comforted by that fact, he soon drifted off for a nap as well.
As I sat there pondering our conversation, I couldn’t help but thank the Lord for being the kind of God we can poke whenever we need something. Anything! Any time!
Sometimes we act as though it is a great bother to ask the Lord for the things we need even when we know there is no way we can get them on our own.
But Jesus tells us this in Matthew 7:7-11:
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; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if his 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!
Do you see that?
Ask.
Ask.
Ask!
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all record that Jesus told his disciples to ask on multiple occasions. It seems as if He didn’t get his point across to everyone though, because there is still teaching on this subject in several other books of the New Testament as well. Ephesians, James, and 1 John all implore disciples to simply ask of the Father for anything they need.
Perhaps we feel our needs aren’t important enough to bother God with them, or that we don’t deserve them even if we need them. We need to know that God doesn’t think that way! He has done everything He can to deliberately say to us, “That’s okay. That’s what I’m here for.”
Take comfort in that fact and rest in it. Dare to poke God today and ask Him for the things you need right now!
