“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”   Luke 11:9-13

Toddlers don’t hesitate to ask parents for what they want. Sadly, maturity sometimes leads to reluctance to ask for help.

When I taught second graders I often had parents volunteering in my classroom. They helped me with necessary tasks such as making copies and changing bulletin boards. Their extra set of hands helped with art projects. Students benefitted from an extra pair of eyes.

One day a parent volunteer noticed a student quietly shivering in my cold air conditioned classroom.

“I think that girl needs a sweater,” the alert parent whispered.

Why didn’t she just ask for a sweater? There were two adults in the room and yet she didn’t ask for what she needed. She quietly endured discomfort.

We do the same thing with God. Often, we quietly suffer without simply asking God for the relief we need. Just as our hearts went out to the little girl, God’s heart is near to you. We answered the unspoken request of that child. God sometimes answerers our unspoken requests. But, He desires that we cry out to Him in our times of need.

It’s so easy to slip into the pattern of managing everything. We take our child to the psychiatrist, make sure he takes his medication, and contact his school. We’re even proactive at saving our troubled marriage. We talk to our husbands, right? Trying our best to work through grief together. Without stopping to ask God for help.

Handling everything ourselves can be futile. Discouraging. Depressing. It can lead to a negative outlook on our situation. Turning to Him, can restore a heavenly up look on life.

I sometimes have to learn the hard way by not tapping into God’s unlimited power and love. But other times, I witness incredible answers to prayer. When I pause to send a specific request heavenward.

We read about Christ silencing the wind and flattening waves. How He healed a soldier’s severed ear and raised Lazarus from the dead. We have access to that power. Is it the busyness of life that prevents us from turning to our Father?

It’s like we’re locked in a room with open doors. Christ challenges us to knock and the door will be opened. He’s whispering to you the same question He asked the blind man, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

Ask like a toddler and wait expectantly for God’s answer. It will come!