He wants us to "ask"

“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).

I remember being told that when you ask for something you have to be specific with what you ask for. Simple, but sometimes we are the ones who make things complex.

This was yesterday's meditation in the Word Among Us online. I've been intenting to write about this particular passage before but never seemed to get the right words out. I admire those people who really write well and able to express themselves clearly in writing, about their dreams and aspirations.

There were many times that it actually makes me embarassed to "ask" for what I really want in various settings. One is if a friend is taking me out to dinner or treating us, I would hold the menu and just say "go ahead please order for us" always thinking that I might order to much or something out-of-budget for my friend. In another time, if someone ask what do I want for my birthday, I just say anything climbing gear or whatever, very general category. Sometimes for lack of anything in mind I just say "world peace".

Then in one of my crossroads in 2001, I learned from a sharing of friend that we should be specific in our prayers. Deep inside I thought this is really very self-centered and very demanding. I thought of one of the talks that said God is not a vending machine. But this friend in her sharing says that our Father in heaven even though He knows what we need and what our hearts desire is even before we ask Him, like a true father, He wants us to ask.

I remember a brother in Lingkod shared-- "the greatest desire of our heart fills a great need in the world". God is the one who placed that desire in our heart to be fulfilled-- a purpose. We were created to be instruments of His plan. We may or may not know it right now what that is in our life right now. There will be questions along the way and that is the exciting part-- in discovering these in our life.

He created us to have a full life and He wants our joy to be full, that is why He wants us to ask.