I was mowing grass down by the creek last week and of course Gracie my little dog went along. Sometimes it seems that she follows so close that if I ever stop suddenly Gracie runs into me.
So on this particular day, it was hot and down close to the creek the horse flies or deer flies were abundant. I didn't pay a lot of attention to Gracie as I was cutting but she has a way of letting you know she wants to ride the mower. She will run along side the mower and raise her head and look at you like "Can't you see I'm trying to keep up with you". If that doesn't work she will run ahead and then turn around and just stop in front of you. That is her way of "asking" can I ride. Usually I'll stop and turn off the blades and allow her to climb on and sit in my lap and ride for a while.
Several times on this day she would play her little game. I would stop the mower and she would jump on and we would ride and cut grass. But like I said, it was hot and Gracie (like her owner) could stand to loose a few pounds. Her presence in my lap was making the mowing uncomfortable. So I would stop and put her down expecting that she would go and find other things to do.
But in just a few minutes she would come back. Give her little look, dance her little jig and want back on the mower. Then I realized what she was doing. The horse flies were getting on her and Gracie hates any kind of bug or fly or "critter" to get on her. Sitting in my lap she knew that I would knock the horse flies off of her back and she wouldn't be bothered with them. Once or twice I even let them get on my arm and I swatted them and killed them. I was taking care of her little problem.
This wasn't a life threatening problem for Gracie. The worse that could have happened is that the horse fly would have bitten her and she would have had some discomfort. She could have ran back to the house and the fly would have left her along. But at that present time she was bothered by the old fly and she wanted me to solve the problem. So in her way, she came to me with her request.
I on the other hand had plenty of other stuff to concern myself with than swatting horse flies off a little black dog. But you know what I did? Every time she ran up to the mower and wanted on, I stopped and let her on, because I cared about her little problems and her discomfort. It was then I realized something that Jesus said in Matthew 7:11. Listen to this verse.
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
In Luke 11:13 this same statement is made but in that verse it is related that Jesus said, "how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?
Can I share my take on those two scriptures? Luke said that when we ask The Father will give us His Holy Spirit. This is a very important need that we all have. Being filled with God's Spirit is of utmost importance in the life of a Christian. It is not a trivial thing. And Jesus says if we ask, The Father will give us the Holy Spirit. That's enough to make your day if you stop right there.
But Matthew says it a little differently. He says "how much more will your Father in Heaven give "good gifts" to them that ask Him"? Not necessarily life threatening things, not necessarily important things, not things we can't live without but things we want, good things. Do you see that?
Oh how we need to bring those horse flies to the Father. I will admit that many times I will try to swat my own horse flies by myself. I'll fret and worry and run back and forth trying to get shed of them when all I really need to do is to run to my Father and "ask". And if I, being evil give good gifts to Gracie when she wants to ride the mower even though it's an aggravation to me, how much more will a loving, Holy, perfect Father give good gifts to me when I come to Him with my request.
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