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We should always keep in remembrance the goodness of the Lord and know that
He will never keep any good thing from us. The Bible says that every good
and perfect gift comes from our Father above with whom there is no
changing. The Lord wishes to meet all of our needs, but we must seek Him
in prayer asking, seeking and knocking. The Lord Jesus says in Matthew
7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and
it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he
that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Be
encouraged to make your petition to the Lord asking for all that you need
believing that you will receive from the Lord. (Psalm 34:10) (Isaiah 65:24)
I hope today’s message encourages you to ask for your heart’s desires
believing that you will receive all that you have asked the Lord for.
FINDING A VOICE
I attended a writer's group recently to get feedback on the latest chapter
in my book.
There were so many people there that evening that discussion was limited.
When I arrived home my thirteen-year-old son shrugged off my disappointment
and asked me to read the chapter to him instead.
So I settled into a chair and read, “Down The Avenue”, a chapter about
spending my allowance as a nine-year-old child.
As innocent as it seems, the experience was a metaphor for how choice and
risk were handled by a child affected by alcoholism. Each week, the trip
“down-the-avenue” culminated at Woolworth's lunch counter where I dreamed
of someday ordering a banana split.
An umbrella with colorful balloons hanging from each rib was suspended
above the counter.
“Pop a balloon and pay 1 cent to 63 cents!” Imagine paying one cent for a
banana split! But I never had more than fifty cents. (And I shuddered at
the thought of Woolworth's calling my parents for more money.) So I kept my
wish to myself. I never thought to risk asking anyone for more money. Risks
were dangerous in a world where alcohol made even benign choices subject
to rage.
Frankie sat at my feet, listening intently, as I read the final sentences
of the chapter:
“I watched as others selected a balloon to pop and fantasized about the
opportunity to proudly take my chance. But it never happened. Pink, blue,
orange and yellow balloons called out to me, daring me, taunting me and
eventually, defeating me. In time, the waitress strolled up to my spot at
the counter and smiled, indicating that she was ready to jot down my
order. I mumbled, “I'll take a Coke please,” and turned the stool away
from the umbrella. I didn't hear the sound of balloons popping behind me.”
Frankie was silent. He thought for a moment and said, “So you never got
the banana split?” A long discussion ensued and eventually he seemed to
understand that it was my own belief that limited me.
I never took the chance of voicing my wish. It was a pattern that took
years to break.
The next morning, Frankie casually announced that he was going out for a
little while. When I asked where, he smiled and said, “I can't say. But
when I get back, I'll need you to go upstairs for a few minutes.” Any
further questions of mine were answered with a coy, “You'll see.”
My mother's instinct told me he wasn't up to anything dangerous, so I
agreed. Frankie left and I busied myself packing for an upcoming camping trip.
In a short time, I heard the back door open and Frankie's voice yelling,
“Can you go upstairs now?” As I walked up the steps I went through a
mental checklist. “Hmm, it's not my birthday; it's not Mother's Day --
what could he be up to?” I brushed my hair and tried to ignore the sound
of chairs scraping, kitchen cabinets slamming and muffled conversation.
Soon my nine-year-old daughter Sarah, a last minute recruit into the
conspiracy, announced through giggles that I could come downstairs. “Eyes
closed - except for stairs,” she said.
Once downstairs, Sarah held my hand and helped me stumble my way through
camping equipment and eventually into the kitchen.
“Open your eyes!” Frankie and Sarah shouted in chorus. I couldn't believe
what I saw. The kitchen table was covered in a pile of balloons. Frankie
walked up to me and handed me fifty cents and a fork. His eyes were lit
with anticipation. “Pop one!” he urged.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I began to realize what he was doing. I
stared at the balloons in disbelief and then jabbed one with a fork.
Frankie and Sarah laughed as I let out a loud whoop when it popped.
A piece of paper fell out of the balloon. I opened it and recognized
Frankie's awkward scrawl.
“What does it say?” Frankie prompted. “Fifty cents,” I whispered, too
choked up to speak loudly. Frankie got business-like and asked, “Well, do
you have fifty cents?” I handed him the two quarters he'd given me moments
earlier.
“Okay then!” Frankie walked over to the refrigerator, pulled out a homemade
banana split on a Tupperware plate and handed it to me. Mounds of vanilla
ice cream were covered in chocolate sauce, Cool Whip and peanuts.
Underneath it all was a banana, split in two. My eyes stung with tears as
I held the banana split. Frankie lovingly made to right an ancient wrong.
I hugged Frankie hard and kissed the top of his head, still sweaty from
all the effort.
“Now you finally got to pop a balloon for a Banana Split, Mom.” Frankie
beamed. I hugged him again, and then hugged Sarah, who stood back and
marveled at her brother. We took turns popping the rest of the balloons
and laughed when I finally got the one-cent balloon. It was a long time
coming, but well worth the wait.
Each spoonful of ice cream reminded me that the first step in making any
wish come true is giving it a voice.
By Teri Goggin
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
Mark 11:24-26 Jesus declares “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever
ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any:
that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven
forgive your trespasses.”
Psalm 139:1-6 “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest
my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my
ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest
it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand
upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot
attain unto it.”
James 1:5-8 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to
all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let
him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that
he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in
all his ways.”
James 1:16-18 “Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His own will begat
He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of
His creatures.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today’s Selected Poem: I ASKED GOD...
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem102.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: JESUS MY DELIVERER
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony136.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry |
