As I remember it, the discussion centered around Matthew 7:7, in which Jesus is reported to have said the words: ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  Most avidly discussed was whether, if one asked anything of God, would he really deliver?  My friend spoke up and said, “Yes he would”!  She then went on to relate how when she was driving to Calgary, especially for an appointment, she always asked God that there be a parking space for her when she arrived at the car park.  She said that there always was a space waiting for her.

I didn’t think that was quite what Jesus had in mind.  “Isn’t that somewhat frivolous?” I asked her.  “Why is it?”  she replied.  “The Bible verse says, ‘ask and it shall be given’, it doesn’t add except for a parking space!”

Well, from then on, I started to rethink the requests that we could make to God. What is acceptable to Him, and can we really expect God to give us just what we are asking for?  I was reminded of the idiom “be careful what you ask for” - which serves as a warning to consider the potential consequences of desires or requests; as what one asks for may not always be what one gets! Also, I recall that someone said that God may grant a request but not in the way that one had hoped for!

However, some years later, I found myself in need of handicap parking, whenever I was out for shopping or appointments, or at least parking as close to a main door in a building as possible.  I thought back to that Alpha session and what my friend had said and decided to make that request for myself.  “Please God”, I prayed, “let there be a parking space close to the door.” I entered the car park and headed to the handicap parking – sure enough there was a space waiting for me! Coincidence? Luck?  Probably, but it has happened often, and I always say “Thank you Lord” as I park the car.

There is one special event that happened though, which gave me a tale I love to tell. Here in Parksville on Vancouver Island, every year around early December, one of our most popular resorts, Tigh Na Mara, hosts a Christmas Toy Drive in support of the Society for Organized Services.  They offer a free buffet breakfast in return for a new toy.  In 2019, five months after open heart surgery, I had arranged to go with my friend, Joan LeMoine, (who had been something of a mover and shaker in our town for many years.)  I was driving and when we arrived at the area close to the resort, it was obvious that there were many people attending; we could see the car park was full and there were parked cars each way on Resort Drive for as far as the eye could see!  I was dismayed.  I told Joan I could not walk any distance, I would have to park close to the door or not at all.  “Well,” she said, “you’ll not get in the parking lot, not a chance.”  My answer was to say my prayer aloud: “Please God, help me get close to the door,” and I headed into the parking lot.  There were cars to the left, cars in the middle row and cars over to the right in front of the door.  I turned left and drove between the left and middle rows; nothing.  I drove around the middle row and started up towards the door – just then, a vehicle parked right in front of the resort, backed out and took off ahead of me and I swanned into the vacated stall!  “Thank you, Lord!” I said.  Joan was flabbergasted. “If I hadn’t seen that with my own eyes, I would never have believed it”, she exclaimed. I told her it wasn’t the first time it had happened, but never when it mattered as much as it did that day.

Coincidence? Luck? Again, probably.  If I think about it deeply, it does seem unlikely that God would be able to organise someone else’s life so minutely, that they would be where I needed to be at a given time and then leaving and moving their car, just at the appropriate moment that I needed their spot!  However, how do we know what God can do if it is His will?  More to the point, why would He make a special effort for me on that day?  There have been a couple of times in my life though, that I know I have received divine intervention.  I wasn’t aware of it at the time it happened, but in hindsight, my feeling is strong that, for purposes only God knew, He did change the course of my life.  As to the day in question and my stroke of luck for parking, I think it was more the law of averages that was at work. The resort starts serving the buffet breakfast at six-thirty am and runs until Ten.  Joan and I arrived around nine, so it was to be expected that by then lots of people would be leaving, so the chances of catching somebody just as they were departing were greatly increased.  I like to think it gave Joan something to think about though! 

For myself, around the time that I started writing this missive, I had a visit with Pastor Steve and was telling him the story of the parking episode.  However, his responses made me think more deeply about the question of how we should approach God when we have a request, whether it is for ourselves or someone else.  I decided to read again Matthew, chapters 6 and 7 in their entirety. In chapter 6, it was stated that Jesus gave much advice about how we should live our lives. He talked about how we should pray and taught us the Lord’s Prayer.  In verse 19, He said: Do not store up treasures on earth, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven”, then in verse 25 He almost commands us not to worry about life, nor what to eat or drink, or what to wear.  He tells us that our Heavenly Father feeds the birds and all creatures; and even the flowers in the fields are better kitted out than Solomon in all his glory!  If He does that for them, will He not also do the same for us? We must have faith for He knows what we need.  Then Jesus goes on to say: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you, as well”

Then in Matthew 7:7 He says again “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you”.

From all the foregoing I have surmised that I must seek first the Kingdom of God, in other words: believe in God, practise my faith, love God and myself and my neighbours, in every day of my life.  In all things I must honor God and keep his commandments; in so doing, trust that He will provide, no matter what. He knows what is in my heart and knows my needs.  I believe I can say prayers for a special request but should finish my plea with “Your will be done, Lord”.  Plus, say “thank you Lord”, if I am successful – even with a parking space!