Luke 12:6-7 (NIV)

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

Effective Prayer

7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

So. Jesus also says that we should ask and we will receive what we ask for. And, He says to keep looking for it and we will find it. Pretty simple stuff. Now, I’m not saying that we will get what we ask for it when we want it. And we won’t find everything we are looking for when we want to find it. We were on God’s timing. And I’m OK with that most of the time.

I firmly believe that God wants us to consult with him about even the little things in life. So, I find myself talking to God all day long. Asking him what I should do, how I should handle something, even where something is. That happened this week. On Tuesday, as I was packing for a short trip (which never came to pass), and Louis asked me to leave him the checkbook on his desk. Well, I couldn’t find the checkbook ANY where. I looked in the 2 places it normally is.  I checked the last place I remembered using it.  I checked under the cushions of the furniture, under the bed, under the Christmas tree.  I prayed a lot…asking God to show me where it was..for 4 days.  Nada.

Then, this afternoon, Louis and I were meeting with a friend, Cherie. We were praying together, and I asked her to pray with me to find the checkbook. Without a second thought, she added it to her prayer list which she keeps on her phone.  No judgment. No ‘that’s silly’. Just a ‘Sure. No problem.’ LOVE THAT!

This evening was one of those fun evenings at Miss Marti’s House. 2 neighborhood teenagers were eating dinner with us. One decided to bake cookies. The other was using dry erase markers to color on the downstairs bathroom mirror. I sat at my desk (usually home of my checkbook) and prayed again. That’s when I opened the bottom drawer to look and it sounded funny. And seemed to get caught a little. Unfortunately the drawer doesn’t come out easily. So, one of the teenagers helped me use the pick-up stick to get papers and other items that had fallen out the back of the drawers down to the bottom when he said:  “And…what could thiiiiis be? Black. Looks like a wallet.  Could it be? Hmmmm. Could it be a checkbook????”  And we rejoiced when my checkbook was revealed from the bottom of the desk where it fell from 3 drawers above!!! YAY!!! YIPEE!!! WOO HOOOO!  CHEERS!!! CLAPPING HANDS! SMILES! JIG DANCING!

Which then reminded me of the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (all found in Luke 15). Just as the search continued for the valued items…and longing for the young son. God won’t stop looking for someone that is important to him. During this Christmas season when we are looking for Christmas to come. We are looking toward the birth of Jesus Christ. We also need to know that He’s looking for us, too.  And He will keep looking. He’s not brutal or pushy or demanding. He’s a gentle gentleman in his pursuit of us.

And when we find Him, the angels all rejoice! YAY!!! YIPEE!!! WOO HOOOO!  CHEERS!!! CLAPPING HANDS! SMILES! JIG DANCING!  Check it out here…

and here…

10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

So, I am excited and rejoicing that it took 4 days to find my checkbook. Let’s think about what we would have missed out on. If I had found it on Tuesday…

1. this post would not exist and YOU wouldn’t be encouraged by this story of God faithfulness.
2. I wouldn’t be reflecting on God’s pursuit of us, His love of us, His faithfulness, His goodness, His answers to my prayers.
3. I wouldn’t be praising Him the same.
4. My faith was made stronger.
5. Terence and Bishop were able to witness God’s faithfulness in person.
6. Cherie and Louis’s faith is strengthened.
7. I am reminded of soooo much.

Last thing… check out the handiwork of my two friends…

Lemon Crinkle Cookies – One of Terence’s Faves

Bishop’s Artwork – Who needs a fridge to post it on???

Bishop Love…. My Version of a Selfie