Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
John 14:14 (NLT)
I have had the blessing of leading some short-term mission trips for the boarding academy where I served as pastor. It was a bit stressful making all of the travel arrangements, making sure all fees had been paid, getting all of the documentation in order, etc. But, it was an amazing experience. So far, I’ve been able to serve with teams of teens and sponsors in Puerto Rico and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I was also honored to plan for a trip to Cairo, Egypt. (There’s a whole other story about this I’ll write about at some point) It’s been on my bucket list for a while, so I was pumped! But there was a major headache in the planning.
When I set the budget for the mission trip, airline prices were relatively reasonable. So, I had everyone turn in a fairly hefty first payment which would cover the cost of getting there. Of course, a few days before the deposits were due, the airline prices spiked by 30 percent. This may not sound like a lot, but when traveling around the globe, this translates into an increase of several hundred dollars per person. I had been monitoring the prices for, hoping they’d stabilize, or even go down. But they just kept creeping up. The idea of asking our students and families for an additional $400 was not something I wanted to do.
I was stressed out that some kids wouldn’t be able to go. So, there I lay in bed, unable to sleep, wondering where the money was going to come from. I wracked my brain for budget adjustments I could make to get the price down, but nothing was going to really help. Then I heard a still, small voice in my mind. It said, “Pray about this.” Yeah, I’m a pastor and had forgotten to surrender this burden in prayer. (Shame on me!) So, I prayed and found peace. I rolled over and went back to sleep.
The next morning, I awoke to find an email from an airline I had requested a group rate from over a week prior. The price they offered our group was actually BELOW what I had originally budgeted! Way below all other fares I’d been quoted. Yes, it’s true. God spoke, I asked, He delivered. He is AMAZING!
So, take our verse today to heart: “Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” Listen for that voice, and when the Holy Spirit tells you to pray, do it. He will answer.
ChadReisig.org 