Today's Message

Today's message at Willow by Darren Whitehead was about believing. Well...that's what it was titled but it was really more based on the whole Matthew 7:7-12 passage.

7 ¶ aAsk, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask for bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

I walked away remembering a few things...and maybe some of you can help me process through my thoughts...

1. God wants to bless our lives in ways that we can't even imagine.
2. I am too selfish to stop what I am doing and ASK him to change what I think is just going the "normal" way in life.
3. If I were to ask for the desires of my heart, would that be selfish?
4. What isn't selfish to ask for?

I mean...this got really complicated for me, and I don't think that Darren intended people to get confused. But I struggle.

Does God want us to just ask that he heals Sean's ankle? OR for the surgery to just be scheduled already? I know that I have prayed time and time again(fully believing)for Sean's ankle to just be "fixed", for God to take the one thing that plagues Sean's mind and body and bless his socks off by taking that pain away. And yet, I know that God's timing is perfect AND that he hasn't left our sides during this frustrating process. But was it selfish to ask?

What about my business??? Is it selfish for me to ask God to increase the number of customers or work that I have? I LOVE my job...and I am not just saying that. I really do have a certain passion for helping people change their homes or their lives through providing income for their families. But is that what God really wants from me? Sometimes I feel so out of balance when I am running ragged from party to party. It does help me cherish the time that I have with my little ones but is it selfish to ask for him to bless me through my workload?

What about us buying a home? I know that he has provided us the home that we have now. Why am I not content? Is it selfish for me to ask him to provide a larger home where we are not running all over each other?

The problem is... the things that I am asking him for feel worldly(except for Sean's ankle)...and I know that he also says to be content! I am just so confused. I want to ask God and not forget his promises but also "not be selfish about it". Does that make sense?