daily devotional

Matthew 7: 7-8

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

These are words spoken by Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount, and he wants to remind you of the power of what you are asking for and the power of what you are seeking today.

Everything you are going through is preparing you for what you asked for.

Let me shoot it to you straight. How will you ever know Jesus is a healer if you don’t first face the illness? How will you ever know Jesus is a provider until you have lost the job, face the impossible, and are pretty darn sure the money has run out? How will you ever know your God is a mountain moving God until you are staring down the mountain?

The difficulty, the failure, the struggle you find yourself in right now is preparing you for the breakthrough you seek.

Strength first comes through struggle. We know that. The only way to build a muscle is to work it through resistance. We pray, “Lord, please give me strength” – well how else is he going to do that without some resistance to grow your muscles of faith and perseverance. Look around, you’re just in life’s gym. Opportunity for strength and growth is everywhere.

Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find.

And sometimes the preparation process for what you asked for can be a hot minute. It can seem to take forever to climb to that next level of living you seek – to get off the struggle bus – to break the bad habit – to repair the relationship – to be restored. But don’t you know you’re worth the investment? You’re worth the time. And if you do not give up, you will receive, you will find and the door will be opened.

You’re likely just one of those overnight success stories 8 years in the making. It’s easy to see the success of others on the surface level and assume it must have been easy for them to lose the weight, their marriage looks like a walk in the park, everything they touch just turns to gold … oh sister, you have no idea all she went through to prepare her first for what you see today. But I bet she’ll tell you it was worth it. I bet she’ll tell you she’s glad she asked. I bet she’ll tell you she’s grateful she endured the process.

Sometimes our God works instantly, and I honestly love it when he does. When he shows up and does the miraculous the moment I ask. When breakthroughs are immediate. When resolution comes quickly. But typically he allows me to go through a long preparation process first. A hard fought battle before the victory. A series of valleys and pits and lions on the prowl first … then the sweet taste of mountaintop success.

I know God is a healer because of what I survived.

I know God is a provider because of what we made it through.

I know God answers because we’ve asked for some big things and YEARS later, I’ve been able to look back with proper perspective and see HE DID EXACTLY WHAT I ASKED FOR and it blows my mind. Not always in my way and certainly not in my timing, but I asked and he answered and I did indeed find what I was seeking. The words he spoke on the sermon on the mount apply to my life, and they apply to your life today.

So, let me encourage you today. Everything you are going through is preparing you for what you asked for. Your soil is just being plowed and who knows being plowed is a painful process? Things have to be dug up and overturned. But the seed is being planted and eventually the harvest will come in your life. It’s just a process. Be willing to go through the process of preparation. Be willing to keep getting up every darn day and doing everything you can do. Be willing to celebrate the smallest growth and improvement. And be willing to be steadfast and faithful when you see none. Your harvest is on it’s way.

God has heard your prayers. Keep asking. Keep seeking. And trust the process of preparation.

Are you a work in progress? Are you in the deep throws of preparation? Are you the active result of a miracle working God still working? Yes you are. Embrace the journey, don’t give up on it. All of this works together for good and it will be real good!