Ask Me

Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
-Matthew 7:7-8


The woods are silent, full of darkness with no reassurance from the moon. Her steps move rapidly, leaves crackling underfoot as she darts along the trail, looking around her as if mentally warding off any monsters on her trail. Just up ahead, beyond the mossy oak tree that looks like a sleeping giant, a cottage is perched in the middle of a grass field, plush as a welcome mat.

Her heart rises to her throat as the glow of lights grows brighter. Never did she think that this place, with its swirling smoke escaping from the chimney and roof made of thatched straw, would welcome her this late into the night, this deep into her need. But she has nowhere else to turn, and the people of the village told her the tenant will indeed tend to her questions.

The clearing pulls open before her, and she attempts to slow her breathing with her steps, which seem to stick into the grass with each reach of her leg. Approaching the door, she pauses, inches from the brass handle and she wonders whether it will open or remain shut, leaving her shrouded in a damp, midnight musing. The window next to it illuminates the shadowed ground, but when she leans to look inside, nothing can be seen.

A stirring starts inside her. Curious of the sudden warmth, she lifts a shaky fist to the heavy wooden door and knocks once. A lightness rushes through her, as if when she touched the wooden frame, a strength flooded through her body from whatever moved on the other side. Bolder, her hands heave against the door again and again, until a sweet melody flows from her fingers.

The door opens wide, a torrent of light wrapping around her. Standing with arms wide open is a man with a radiant countenance. His smile stretches from ear to ear, eyes blazing with recognition.

“Welcome, my child.” He ushers her in to a room filled with gifts of all shapes and sizes- wooden soldiers intricately painted in matching uniforms, books with velvet covers, block forts built all around the corners of the walls. But there are other gifts as well- unusual gifts to her tired eyes. On the shelf above the crackling fireplace lay Strength. Patience stacks at an angle behind the rocking chair and overflowing out of the closest tumbles Heart’s Desire.

He catches her assessing these gifts and their eyes meet. She opens her mouth to apologize for snooping but he waves her over to an ornate brass table, beautiful floral designs carved along the legs. There in the middle sits a large golden box wrapped in pink lace.

“Take a closer look,” he says, eyes shining. The wrapping feels like silk under her hands as she turns the box over and reads the inscription. There, written in fine cursive, her name sparkles in the lamplight. A gasp escapes her lips. Could it be? She dare not hope, but takes great care in detaching the ribbon and shifting the top edges. She clears the paper away and delicately pulls out the object inside.

No words escape her mouth; she stands staring at the treasure held in her palms. Before leaving to find the cottage, she had laid her most buried fears at the feet of this man, whom she had yet to meet but hoped would answer. She expressed her most fragile wants to the night, everything she was too afraid to speak. At the very end, into the inky blackness, she made one simple request. If it wasn’t too much, could her wish be granted?

She holds her prize to her chest, tears freely falling. This man’s gift went beyond what she expected, beyond what she could only hope for in dreams.

“Thank you,” she whispers. Endless joy pools in his eyes at her words. He doesn’t have to say a syllable; in that instant, everything she fears, every question sought, blends into one abundant longing fulfilled, and her uncertainty melts away on the wings of wonder.


Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.

The Lord longs to be gracious to you, for you to take yourself to Him with even the tiniest request. He wants to hear what you say.

He is good. So very good. He wants to hear His children at His door, knuckles scratched from scraping across the wood in confident announcement. And when the hinges swing open and we are standing in the warm glow of God’s encouraging smile, we speak. His grin grows. He longs to hear His child ask Him for her hopes. And He loves to give.

Bring your desires and wishes before our Father, who longs to lavish you with gifts beyond comprehension.


Prayer:
Ask, and I shall receive. Seek, and I will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to me. It’s hard to think that the Ruler of the world wants me to actively unload my dreams and longings. But when I come before Your door and earnestly knock, You open it for me, wide and welcoming. Please let me remember You want me to come to You, to ask for even little things, because they matter to You. Thank You for giving me the greatest gift of all- Your Son, Jesus. Amen.