Our Father Likes for Us to Ask

Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear. — Isaiah 65:24, NIV

I have a difficult time understanding something about God, and it's partly because of the way my parents are. They told me this story about their early married life, which nicely illustrates the difficulty.

One day my mother decided to bake a surprise for my father. She knew that he loved cream horns (yum!) and found a recipe. She set to work, poured her heart into it, and timed it perfectly. The pastry was almost ready when he got home. But before she could deliver the gift, he blurted out "You know what? I really want a cream horn!"

She got so mad that she nearly hit him with it. His ill-timed request took the joy out of her surprise.

The same thing happens with me and my son William. For example, yesterday our family had been at church all afternoon playing chamber music with friends. We were all tired, hot and thirsty. As we drove away from the church I decided to stop in the nearby town of Ashton (neat, eh?) for Slushees. Not a quarter mile down the road William asked "Can we get Slushees?"

Ugh! I did not want to be asked for this gift! We went home thirsty.

As you can imagine, this makes it very difficult for me to grasp how much God likes to be asked. But God has very clearly stated "Ask and it will be given to you;" and "For everyone who asks receives." Read the entire passage. It ends with the absolute promise of the Holy Spirit given as a gift to anyone who asks!