“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you…how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:7,11
Eight years ago today, it was sunny, warm and breezy. My father, brother, Jenny and I were standing in front of my mother’s casket at the cemetery towards the end of the graveside service. The breeze had a playfulness to it. The other family and friends had been invited to place flowers at the foot of the casket and nearly all of them had been blown off by the playful breeze to the other side – away from all of us on this side. It was now time, for the four of us to place our flowers at the head of the casket, concluding the service. And so each of us placed the flowers there – before that playful, joyful breeze pushed the flowers this time back at us, falling at our feet. And without missing a beat, Jenny smiled and said, “Aw, she’s giving them back to you.”
It was a moment I will never forget for a couple of reasons. As you might imagine, in the middle of grief you have a numbed, nauseous feeling and it was the last moment I would be only a reach away from my mother’s body. And yet, in the middle of it all, the playful breeze, the love of the flowers being returned to us and Jenny’s sweet voice explaining it all, as if God speaking through her – confirming many thoughts and prayers in just a sentence.
Answered prayer. In the haze of grief, as many of you know, you lift up a lot of prayers. “Let me know she is okay. Let me know she is with you. Let me know you kept your promise,” were among my many prayers of those days.
You see, about four years before that day, after going to the visitation of a good friend and hero from high school, Matt DeYoung, I went to my now infamous prayer hill in Radburn’s “B” park. As you might imagine, when you are in your 20’s or younger and you see someone around your age in casket, it is an awful feeling. It throws everything off – it defies logic and the order of things. So I was already upset about that, but I also had other questions and prayers on my mind. My mother, Kate, was going through a particularly difficult time with her health and with life general. My prayers for her went something like, “Lord, when will it end for her! Can you please release her from her suffering!”
And then I was quiet for a few moments. And in that quiet, the following phrase entered my mind, “She will know joy.” And it was the first time I understood God communicating to me with words. Number one, because I don’t really talk like that. And I could tell that it was not coming from my mind – it just started bouncing around in there. I took as it an answer and a promise and started to head for the car to visit her.
I never told Kate about my “message” about her. But it never left me. And as her life in the next few years seemed to get worse and worse, I clung to my asking, seeking and knocking and the idea of “She will know joy.” How many times did I remind God of His promise? Countless. The waiting is always the hardest part.
And then Kate died. Her broken heart finally broke altogether, depriving her beautiful mind of oxygen for too long. This is knowing joy, you say? Hold on…
She died in ICU with her husband holding one hand, her younger son holding her other hand and her first son (me) at her feet – all together again, just as she wanted it all along – joy. Kate left behind the suffering, the illnesses, the hurt, the guilt and the tears – joy. She entered into the presence and fullness and joy of Jesus where there is only joy, praise and adoration.
I asked. I sought. I knocked. And it was given to me. I found it. And it was opened to me. She now knew joy – complete joy. A joy, that as hard as I tried to give her here on earth, it could never come close. Is this the way I would have liked it? Absolutely not. But here is what I can tell you without any doubt: God hears our prayers. God answers our prayers – every time. God answers prayers in the way that is best for us and for those for whom we pray. God answers prayers in His own time.
In His time, there we were at the cemetery, the sunshine, the playful, joyful breeze, the gift of the flowers back to us confirmed to me deep in my soul, that the Lord had heard my prayers and answered them…and would teach me that He always would – sometimes the way I expect, but most times not – but always answering with His best.
Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. “How much more will your Father in heaven, give good things to those who ask him!”
Amen.
Discussion Questions
- Are you asking, seeking and knocking about something in your life right now? Do you believe He will answer? Why or why not?
- Is there something you have been afraid to ask Him for – because you don’t think He will give it to you? How about now?
- How do you think God defines the “good things” He wants to give us?
- Do you have an answered prayer story? Please email me back and share it.
Living Water 