Before We Ask

In the Education/Psychology department where my wife and I both teach, on a fairly regular basis we select one or two members of our college staff to honor for their faithful service.  As faculty we are very aware we could not do our job if there were not a host of unseen workers taking care of the physical plant, the technology needs and other necessary things.  To honor them we invite them to our department and feed them.  The menu is planned and each of us is assigned one of the ingredients.  Being the most challenged of our team I am usually assigned something fairly simple like bringing the salad dressing.  Today was an honor day.  At breakfast this morning my wife said to me, “You do remember this is your day to bring salad dressing.”  Obviously I got a strange panicked look and she knew what was coming next because she said, “I already have it in the basket.”  Phew!!   She knows me.

Several years ago I heard a sermon entitled, “Before We Ask He Hears.”  It was one of the best sermons I ever heard.  (I sat there wishing I had preached it.  Preachers are that way.  They want to be the one that preaches all the good stuff.)  One night in Africa thieves stole the wheels off our car.  We were devastated because we could not afford to replace them.  The very next day we got a check in the mail (mailed over two weeks before) for the exact amount of money needed to replace the loss.  Don’t ever try to tell me He doesn’t know and provide what we need before we even need or ask.

Written by Roger Bothwell on December 10, 2008

Spring of Life, 901 Signorelli Circle, St. Helena, CA 94574