Tip of My Iceberg

There are many reasons why groups of people gather. For families, it’s holiday celebrations, reunions, tripping over cousins, and gabbing with grandparents. With companies, it’s meetings, conferences, brainstorming sessions, and fun employee interactions.

When family merges with company, gatherings tend to be more intimate and honest. Confrontations can be uncomfortable but can draw people into connecting well.

I belong to an outfit who organizes Worldwide Days of Prayer twice a year. Yes, we are a faith-based organization, and yes, we believe in God. We gather together to connect with one another and with the Lord, who yearns to connect with us. We bring personal and corporate requests, knowing each of them is valued by our God.

Many don’t realize how easy it is to communicate with God. It doesn’t require special words or postures; there are no secrets for getting Him to listen. God longs to hear our hearts and connect them with His.

“This is what the Lord says–the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: Ask Me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.” Jeremiah 33:3

The God of the Universe, the One who has created every person who has ever lived in His image, challenges us to ask Him, to talk to Him, to seek Him out. And He guarantees us He will listen to us and answer us.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me.’” Jeremiah 29:11-13

There are those who are convinced God is playing a game of hide-and-seek with us, darting behind doors, ducking behind bushes, cloaking Himself in the deep leaves of trees. They want to know Him, desire to connect with Him, but expect it to be hard or that the demands God might put on us would be greater than we can handle.

God doesn’t answer yes to every request put before Him. He knows what we truly need; His “no” or “wait” are done for our own good. We only know what we think we want in the moment; God sees what the impact will be on us in the big picture.

When we came together for a day of prayer, we prayed for the Lord to provide for needs that seemed obvious. We began with hearts of gratitude, because God has already been so gracious to us. But asking is what we need to do to remind ourselves that He is the One who provides for us.

“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. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seesk, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8

We often don’t have because we don’t ask. We hesitate to ask because we’re afraid of being disappointed. It becomes a vicious cycle of regret and dismay.

God loves us. All of us. We can choose to connect with Him or not.

All we have to do is ask.

Together? Our combined faith encourages us all.