It seems like a small think, but I pray to St. Anthony every time I lose something. Sometimes it’s big things, things that are important, like my passport. Other times, and more often, its insignificant things like my headphones or my nail clippers. It occurred to me a few months ago when I prayed about something and found it two days later; wow, this really does work!
I shared it with my wife who joined me in saying “Well yeah! Why wouldn’t it work? Of course it will work!” Which got me to thinking one of the topics for this blog. Prayer and asking. The verse goes “Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened. (Mt &7:7) In non-Christian circles, this has been called the ASK principle. Whether we ask for something small and simple or a BIG ask, like a career change, we can have confidence in God that He will give us AT LEAST what we are asking. We can run into trouble when we ask for something or knock and it seems no matter how much we plead or how loud we knock, it isn’t heard. So a second piece of this verse is patience.
Patience is a virtue. It really is. Be it with others, ourselves, or God, it is one of the hardest things for me to work with and through. I want what I want now. Many of us feel this way, and in the today where instant gratification is expected instead of appreciated, this is even more difficult. It is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which is why we can pray to the Spirit when we are in that moment of trial. “Holy Spirit, give me patience.” It need not be a complex, explain the situation and justify ourselves prayer. It is simple. Just ask.
Sometimes, what we are asking for or seeking isn’t meant for us. We have to accept God knows better, which takes humility. We can ask for this too! “Holy Spirit, give me humility.” Since this is another fruit of the Holy Spirit, it is something else God can bless us with. We can ask for these things when we feel things aren’t going our way or how we expected with our original request. What’s important is that we recognize that God has the final say in our requests and can and WILL grant us those things if it brings Him glory. Now that can happen simply by us offering thanks when we get our request. We can capitalize on positive feedback. We ask for something simple, like finding my nail clippers, and when found, rejoicing and giving thanks to God. “Thanks God! Thanks St. Anthony!” We call out to God and give him glory through thanksgiving and increase our faith in Him, knowing He will come through.
We can always trust God. We have opportunities everyday to seek Him and find Him. All we have to do is ASK.
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