9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 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 good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11
Last week, I had a group of younger students around my table when suddenly one student held out her hand and exclaimed, “I’m bleeding!” I glanced at her palm, and sure enough, there was a small spot of blood. It looked like just a small scratch, but over the years, I have learned that sometimes it’s easier to offer a quick bandage and roll on. And I knew that this student was not likely to let it go with a quick, “You’ll be fine.”
So I told her to wait just a minute until we had finished an activity, and then I would get a bandage out of my desk for her. She calmed quickly, and we continued our activity. I walked to my desk, got a band aid, and returned to the table.
But when I asked her to show me where she was bleeding again so that I could place the bandage on it, instead of showing me her palm, she tilted her head back and pointed up her nostril!
“Wait a minute,” I said. “I thought your hand was bleeding. Are you telling me that it was from your nose?”
“Uh huh.”
“And you want me to put a band aid on your nose?” I asked.
She nodded in response, eyes wide, and lower lip protruding.
But there was no way I was doing that. I bit back a laugh and told her I could not put a bandage on her nose. Instead, I directed her to get a tissue and use some hand sanitizer!
I knew that a band aid was really just to make her feel better, and I was willing to put one on her hand. But a band aid over a nostril is just not going to help anything. There definitely would have been laughter at her expense, and I really doubt she would have felt better at that point.
She didn’t really need a band aid. She needed to keep her finger out of her nose -- and possibly some relief from the very dry winter air we’ve been experiencing lately.
And right about here is where I start thinking about some of the things I ask God for. How many of those things are really just to make me feel better? How many of those things wouldn’t even be necessary if I had handled the situation better in the first place? How many of those requests would end up being something that would cause me more grief in the long run?
I am so thankful that God, in His infinite wisdom and abundant love for me, answers my prayers with what I need instead of just giving me what I ask for. I am so thankful that I can completely trust Him with my requests, knowing that He will not simply grant me everything I ask for just because I asked for it. Instead, sometimes, He hands me the tissue and the hand sanitizer because that is exactly what I need.
Lord, thank you for answering my prayers the way that only You can -- knowing exactly what I really need even when I don’t. Help me to trust You more each day and to understand that when You don’t answer the way I am asking You to, that it is because You know what is best for me, and You love me too much to give me anything else.
She didn’t really need a band aid. She needed to keep her finger out of her nose -- and possibly some relief from the very dry winter air we’ve been experiencing lately.
And right about here is where I start thinking about some of the things I ask God for. How many of those things are really just to make me feel better? How many of those things wouldn’t even be necessary if I had handled the situation better in the first place? How many of those requests would end up being something that would cause me more grief in the long run?
I am so thankful that God, in His infinite wisdom and abundant love for me, answers my prayers with what I need instead of just giving me what I ask for. I am so thankful that I can completely trust Him with my requests, knowing that He will not simply grant me everything I ask for just because I asked for it. Instead, sometimes, He hands me the tissue and the hand sanitizer because that is exactly what I need.
Lord, thank you for answering my prayers the way that only You can -- knowing exactly what I really need even when I don’t. Help me to trust You more each day and to understand that when You don’t answer the way I am asking You to, that it is because You know what is best for me, and You love me too much to give me anything else.
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