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For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

MATTHEW 7: 8

Before we purchased our first home together and after our wedding we rented a friends home in a nearby neighborhood. It was PERFECT at the time and we were grateful, to say the least, for the provision.

I was so thankful our rental home was provided for us in a time of need, however, I longed for a yard and a garden. I remember sitting on the patio of the house and looking at my 3 potted plants, daydreaming about my future garden. That same year the opportunity came for us to purchase our first home. When we finally found the perfect home and our offer was accepted (which is a whole other story and testimony to God’s goodness), we were excited to fix it up and make it our own.

Home ownership was a new experience for us and there were many things that needed fixing. The previous owners lived in our new home for almost 30 years, and although they did take wonderful care of it, they also did MANY DIY projects on things that perhaps should have been left to the pros. It’s safe to say, a garden was not high on the priority list those first few months.

Spring was coming fast and a garden was nowhere in sight. Wes was working hard on the house and at work, but he vowed to try his best to build me raised beds before summer. I recall being pushy (and perhaps a bit dramatic) with him and explaining that “gardening was a timeline and I needed to sow seeds in the spring if we wanted to harvest any food.” Thank God for my patient husband. I remember praying such silly prayers, or so I thought. God, I really want to grow food for our family. I want to have a hobby outdoors. Please, make a way Lord.

One of the tasks on the house work list was to clean out the area behind the DIY shed the previous homeowners built. The brush was overgrown up to my waist and it was a daunting task. Wes would weed wack and I would scoop up the materials and bag them. There was an immense amount of trash and SOOO MANY BUGS. Slowly but surely we cleared it out and suddenly we came upon the treasure. Underneath all the brush and dirt behind that shed were… surprise… planters. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… EIGHT. HUGE. POTS. FOR FREE.

You may think that is no big deal but let me tell you… it is. Planters of that size and material are hundreds of dollars. As our household income relies on the salaries of a firefighter and teacher, we don’t have $800 to spend on pots.

Here is where the story gets good. Did I need a garden? No. Did I need to plant my garden in the spring? No. Did I need huge planters when Wes was doing his best to build me raised beds? No.

But God. You guys… These are words straight from the mouth of Jesus. “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 open to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents- if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:7-11 NLT.

Some might argue coincidence but I know the truth. God delights in providing for his children. He doesn’t just answer the big stuff. He is kind and selfless, and there have been countless stories like this in my life since I decided to live for Him. Sometimes that looks like, God help me to understand who and where you are in this situation or help me to understand the Gospel the way you intended. The first time it looked like God, I want to know you and be your daughter. I know Jesus died for me so help me to know where to go from here. But many times in our day to day life it looks like my prayer for pots or a place to call home. One thing is for certain. I am blessed beyond measure that I serve a God who delights in hearing and answering his childrens’ prayers.