Wishing Well

So I was with a dear friend today and her sweet little boy. We stopped at a huge fountain and gave him coins to toss into the water. He was at first amazed that we would allow him to pitch pennies into the splashing water, but loved the game. Happily he toddled back and forth from us to the pool and tossing pennies one by one into the bubbling water. The coins seemed to vanish magically.

Have you ever done that? Have you pitched a penny into a fountain and tossed a wish in with it? It's a fun way to dream...whether it's a wish for winning the lottery, finding a soul mate or just hoping for a good parking spot at the grocery store, we love to wish.

Sometimes people look at God as a wishing pool. They summon on their best prayer skills and cast their wish into the sky...in hopes of Him granting it. And when an answer doesn't come, or they hear a "no"...they move on to the next fountain that might grant their wish.

In John 15:7, Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

Some people grasp onto the last part, "ask whatever you wish" and forget the first part.

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you..." You see, God wants us to have the desires of our heart. (Psalm 37:4) He loves to give gifts to His children. (Matthew 7:11) When we only come to Him with our wants and never stop to build our relationship with Him, we become a child playing at the fountain...casting our pennies in one after another, never abiding, never listening to His words.

We go away with a few less pennies, and a few more unanswered wishes. And we wonder, does He really care? Will He ever answer?

Dear reader, if we would only learn what it means to truly abide! Abide means to dwell, live with, remain. Can you truly say you abide with Him? Does His word abide in you?

I challenge you to take at least a week and really abide. Shut off the TV, open your Bible start and end your day with His word. Take those few minutes of your day...the ones you consider as not so important, like pennies on a sidewalk, and give them to Him.

Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. Would any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish? As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask. Matthew 7:7-11