I GOT JUST WHAT I WANTED!

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7 NASB)

I prayed for the Lord to give me something specific to write specifically to you at this specific time. God is a prayer hearing and a prayer answering God. This is how He answered me in a sequence of things.

Several months ago, I had found an old cassette tape on which my mother had recorded a service in the mid-1990’s. I wanted to listen to it, but I could not find anyone who still had a cassette tape recorder. So, I set the tape aside. Please note, God was working before I even asked Him for some inspiration. It is true, He knows what you need before you even ask. 

More recently, a couple of weeks ago, our area received about seven inches of rain in two days. In this area, we usually get a little over four inches for the entire month of April. As I was working on “reviving,” that’s a good word for it, reviving the lower level of our split-level home, I found a mini-tape recorder that one of my sons had left behind decades ago. I was able to salvage it and hear the service. Keep what I asked for in mind regarding what I had asked from the Lord.

I installed some new batteries and declared to myself, “Now I can finally listen to a recording of a service that Mom had recorded.” Therefore, I did listen to it on the very same day that I claimed,” Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers” on the left behind cassette player. (Smile!)

There were several songs sung by our choir. Appropriately so, since the occasion was “All Choirs Day.”  I preached a sermon entitled “Why Church Folks Sing.” It as if I was listening to someone else, but I was fed. But listen to this! My eyes filled with tears as I heard my daughters singing the song that we just call “Their Song,” “He’s Been So Faithful.”  One of my younger sons is playing the drum machine to accompany our pianist extraordinaire and my younger brother, an accomplished musician, was playing his bass guitar. Oh, what memories!

One of the men in the choir sang, “Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior.” Another one of the men sang, “I Won’t Go Back No More.” There were other selections. You see, it was not an A& B type of service. I think we went, A, B, C, & D!  They were all great and they moved the souls of all in the sanctuary!  But the selection that kept repeating, resonating in my mind was the a song by Mr. Christopher Brinson entitled, “Got Just What I Came For.”  As a side note: If Alexa could voice a complaint, “she” would say, “Mark didn’t give me a break! How many times do you have to hear that same song?”

I don’t believe this was coincidental or incidental, but rather it was evidential, part of the sequence that led to the answering of my prayer mentioned in the first paragraph above. Perhaps someone needs evidence that reaffirms that God is a prayer hearing and a prayer answering God. Perhaps as we said above, somebody needs to know that the Lord knows what we want before we even ask. And still, perhaps somebody needs to go to the Lord and make their specific requests made known to Him. Could there be more reasons that speak to why God answered my prayer in the way that He did? I think so! Maybe someone needs to know that we serve and all-knowing, omniscient God. Somebody else may need to know that it is prayer that activates the powerful arm of the Lord. Still, someone may benefit from today’s meditation inasmuch as they perceive that the Lord is using His questioning technique to have them express what they really want. I say that based on the closing passage. Read it, my friend.

Well, I did not let the Lord’s answering of my prayer be just for my benefit. I hope He is speaking to you, too. If you need lifted up; if you need strength to go on; if you need understanding; if you need Him to put you in your right mind; if you need to know how to deal with the changes of life that come with the passing of years; if you need a break through; if you need a healing of any type, I suggest that you call on the Lord.

Finally, in addition to looking to God to bless you with the answer you want to your prayers, make sure that every time you study the word of God, and every time you attend worship service, and every time you attend a Bible Study class, go looking to get something. And then come out with a testimony to share: “Got just what I wanted.” Have a great day! Be blessed.

^“Then they came to Jericho. And later, as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a beggar who was blind named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the man who was blind, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you. “And throwing off his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And replying to him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the man who was blind said to Him, “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight! “And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.” (Mark 10:46-52 NASB)

Committed to the climb,

Mark L. King