You do not have, because you do not ask. (James 4:2b, ESV)
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think… (Ephesians 3:20a, ESV)
It was a simple question, really. I was just calling Verizon to find the number of someone who’d called me and it was further back in the history than my iPhone would show. But I got more than I bargained for.
And for once, that was a good thing.
While I was on the phone with the agent, she told me about a deal for a free gigabyte of data on my phone. That led her to tell us we were paying way too much for data than we really needed, anyway, a comment that led to saving $20 a month. Then, she told me we had other “offers” waiting for us on each of our phone accounts.
Offers? Who knew we had offers?
These saved us even more, and all without having to change our plan or make any added commitment. I didn’t know to ask for them. But she did. My choosing to call and chat with her that day served as the conduit for her giving us stuff that we didn’t even know to ask for.
It reminds me of the practical importance of being in regular relationship with God. Not because I get stuff from Him, as good as that could be. But it reminds me that He is good and that He wants to give good gifts to His kids.
As with our relationship with our own kids, I wonder if some of those good things come more often to kids who are in close relationship with Dad than ones who aren’t.
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that good works directly result in God’s blessings. For sure, God is God, and there’s plenty of evidence that sometimes He withholds temporal blessings for the purpose of allowing suffering to do it’s sanctification work in our lives.
But other times, maybe it’s a good reminder that when I think I’m waiting on God for something, sometimes it may be that He’s waiting on me to sit down for a chat.
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Check out my forthcoming book, Unburdened: The Christian Leader’s Path to Sexual Integrity (coming September 2015 from InterVarsity Press).
