Do We Ask?

January seemed to have come by rather quickly. I felt like I had just decorated the house for Christmas and was enjoying the beauty of Christmas. You know what I mean. People are more patient it seems and caring. There is a happiness that time of year that we don't seem to experience any other time of the year. The songs on the radio make us feel warm inside and the stresses of life seem to release their grip for a brief moment. We get to see family and friends that we don't get to be with very often. Our ovens are filled with warm Christmas cookies and our mailbox is full of cards.

Then a few days later, the calendar is flipped and a new year has arrived. The sun sets and moon rises just as it did the day before, but some how this time it feels different. A new year. A fresh start. Resolutions are made, and broken. Some are kept, but few are. Then the weather on the east coast hits. Snow, ice, freezing temps. Who wants to venture outside? Find a good book and curl up. Sometimes I wish we were like bears, hibernate until better weather comes our way. I think they are onto something...

A few Sundays' ago we sang a song in church and the chorus has stuck with me and in turn, has challenged me. As we sang this song, we were asking God to show us His glory, show us His power, we ask Him to open up Heaven, we want to see Him. I was struck with the fact that we sing verses that our worship leader puts on the screen. We sound beautiful. Much praise is given. But when the lights go off and the worship band takes their seat, do we mean the words we just spoke to God? Are we really in our day to day life asking God Almighty to show us His Glory, His Power and if he opened Heaven could we stand it?! If we saw Him, would we recognize Him? Aw, this is my point. We just finished the Christmas season and we worshiped the baby, we spoke of the baby, those that were there 2000 plus years ago did the same thing, but did they recognize Him? Some did, many did not. Many felt He should have looked different. He should have released them from the grip of the Roman government. He didn't meet the requirements they had formed in their minds. It didn't matter that he fulfilled EVERY detail of prophecy. It wasn't what they were looking for, so it mustn't be true. We shake our heads at that. But, I ask you, do we not do the same thing? We ask Him to show us, and when he does, we call it coincidence and look to other possibilities. Worse yet, do we recognize His hand in our lives? That inner voice that guides and directs. Do we listen and care that it is there? Can you imagine what our life would be like if we prayed to God asking Him to show us his power, glory and the details he has put into our lives? I challenge you to do just that this week. Be ready to be floored. Sometime we don't have, because we do not ask. Now, keep in mind, that means we need to ask for things that will please Him and bring Him glory. What do we do with silence and no response when we ask?  We keep asking and trusting. In his time, it will come. Just because it isn't immediate, doesn't mean it isn't possible. I am always amazed in scripture when Jesus spoke how the people wanted more and more miracles to prove that he was the Messiah. How may miracles did he have to perform to please them? He never could have performed enough. He knew that, yet, he had compassion on them and healed and performed miracles to bring glory to His father, our father.  Do we use God as a Jeanie in a bottle? Or do we trust him with our very lives and as much as we need air for our next breath, we need Him to direct our lives and show us his power, glory and Himself? The longer you walk with Him, the more you will understand that His power and glory are all around Him. You won't want to take your eyes off Him. Then one day, he will reach down and call you home. Then and only then will we be able to see His face. Until then, His fingerprints will have to do. I see them everyday, but I must look for them. I saw them on the smiles of my daughters faces today. I saw them in the pure white snow that glistened off the fields. I saw them in the mockingbird as he ate red berries from my winter holly bush. I saw him in my husband's eyes as he said I love you before heading out the door for a meeting. I felt his fingerprints on the cold wet nose of the beloved Labrador as she nestled against me begging for some play time. She was an answer to prayer that I prayed four years for and she is a perfect fit for me. Most importantly, I felt His fingerprints in the warmth of my heart that no matter the circumstances I have joy, endless joy. So, please when you are ready, ask Him to show you his power, glory, and Himself. He will not disappoint. He is crazy about you and loves when you choose to spend time with Him.