limits and believe God could not, would not, how to give good gifts to your children, how give us that which we seek. much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask My him!”?* But what happens when we ask for heart swelled. My eyes filled with tears at the healing, for deliverance from and life’s evils thought of That He God’s graciousness. hear nothing, receive nothing? Or so it should care for something so trivial and appears. This is a theologically difficult insignificant as my soup spoon prayer issue which needs further exploration. We astounded me! know, however, that we are never separated from I with this example that God is don’t suggest a in the sky or a Cosmic “sugar daddy” Santa catering to our every whim. I believe love for us, His concern for our lives, God’s God intended this experience as an exercise no matter what. This is the promise of in Faith building. If He can provide a soup Romans 8:37. * spoon for me—even when I’ve cogitated, I return often to the Souper Soup Spoon debated and still made a decision which I incident—to this example of love God’s later regretted—how much more will He hear towards me—precisely because it is so my requests for the larger issues in life? If If God hears AND answers ‘insignificant’. He can affect such a small decision, how prayer for a soup spoon, why should I doubt much more the greater decisions of life, with his concern for the larger issues in my life? far weightier consequences? Will He not hear and answer prayer for far Matthew 7:7 goes even further*. We are greater things, the weight of which is often instructed to ask, seek, and knock. Ask and difficult to bear? it will be given. Seek and we will find. Knock In times of doubt, wondering about life and and doors shall open. We are shown that decisions, we can trust in infinite love God’s everyone who asks, receives. These are and grace. He wants to give to ‘good gifts’ emphatic statements. It is we who determine His children: Just remember the soup that the prayer is too small; the item or thing spoon! too insignificant before God. It is we who set *Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1984, by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”?* My heart swelled. My eyes filled with tears at the thought of God’s graciousness. That He should care for something so trivial and insignificant as my soup spoon prayer astounded me! I don’t suggest with this example that God is a “sugar daddy” in the sky or a Cosmic Santa catering to our every whim. I believe God intended this experience as an exercise in Faith building. If He can provide a soup spoon for me—even when I’ve cogitated, debated and still made a decision which I later regretted—how much more will He hear my requests for the larger issues in life? If He can affect such a small decision, how much more the greater decisions of life, with far weightier consequences? Matthew 7:7 goes even further*. We are instructed to ask, seek, and knock. Ask and it will be given. Seek and we will find. Knock and doors shall open. We are shown that everyone who asks, receives. These are emphatic statements. It is we who determine that the prayer is too small; the item or thing too insignificant before God. It is we who set limits and believe God could not, would not, give us that which we seek. But what happens when we ask for healing, for deliverance from life’s evils and hear nothing, receive nothing? Or so it appears. This is a theologically difficult issue which needs further exploration. We know, however, that we are never separated from God’s love for us, His concern for our lives, no matter what. This is the promise of Romans 8:37. * I return often to the Souper Soup Spoon incident—to this example of God’s love towards me—precisely because it is so ‘insignificant’. If God hears AND answers prayer for a soup spoon, why should I doubt his concern for the larger issues in my life? Will He not hear and answer prayer for far greater things, the weight of which is often difficult to bear? In times of doubt, wondering about life and decisions, we can trust in God’s infinite love and grace. He wants to give ‘good gifts’ to His children: Just remember the soup spoon! *Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1984, by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
HTC-Newsletter-2017-05.docx