Ask and it will 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. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11)
It’s been a very difficult year for me on a professional level. Although I’ve always been dedicated at work, this year found me working as much as 21 hour days and a good portion of my weekends. From January through September, I was involved with a financial project in Detroit that at many times felt beyond me. I was working in a world I never had before (Income Statements, Balance Sheets, Cash Flow Statements), I was working with a new product that was very much in its infancy when the project began, I was under extremely tight deadlines from the client, etc. It got so bad, that on many days/nights I would break down at the keyboard feeling completely powerless and completely alone. But thankfully I knew I wasn’t…
Month by month, week by week, day by day, I clung to the mighty hand of the Lord begging for his guidance every step of the way. In times of sorrow, He helped me find joy; in times of distress, He helped me find peace. All it took on my part was a conscious effort to ask Him, and the confidence that His power would overcome any and all obstacles in my way.
Of course there were moments I’d forget, and try to resolve difficult trials on my own…like the time my laptop seemed to be breathing its last breath on a day I could absolutely ill afford it. For hours, I fruitlessly tried everything from restarting my services, to restarting my laptop, to shutting it down completely, to virus-scanning, to disk-checking, etc. Just when I had reached the point of packing my bags and going home, I remembered this verse. I immediately walked out the office door, walked down the hall, and lifted up a simple prayer to the Lord. When I walked back I knew in my heart that the struggles with my laptop would be over (and they were), and I could hear the Lord saying with a smile, “Frank, all you had to do was ask me!” :)