Ask the Lord Even for the Simple Things

1 John 5:15

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.

The concept in this verse is so simple that it cannot really be true!

We left my cousin’s home in north-eastern North Dakota and drove to the south-eastern portion of the state. As it got toward evening we pulled into a motel in Belfield, ND, and asked what they had available for us to overnight in.

“Sorry,” we were told, “we’re full.”

We found a little, dark motel tucked away back off the road. Sylvia didn’t like the looks of it. That was the only motel we skipped.

We offered a short prayer while sitting in the car, “Dear Lord, please lead us to a safe hotel that we can afford tonight.” We had started praying this as we travelled each day when we were touring South Africa on our own a few years ago. Safety was a major factor because crime is an ever present fact of life there. God had always provided.

We drove on west along I-94. We stopped at every motel for over 150 miles. The story was still the same: “Sorry, we’re full!” “We wish we could help you, but we’re all booked up.”

It was almost like we had some incurable disease and no one wanted us to stay there.

“What’s happening that there is no room?” I asked one proprietor.

“You know they’ve discovered oil in North Dakota?”

“Well, we did see a lot of heavy equipment as we came south on U.S. 85.” I admitted. “In fact we had to wait for 45 minutes at one point while they moved some of the equipment.”

“All of our clients are people who have come north to work in the oil fields.”

Well after midnight we pulled into a complex of motels outside Miles City, “I’ve heard that in the center of town there’s a quaint old hotel that has some rooms,” one motel clerk told us.

We stood in line at the Historic Olive Hotel desk. It was well after midnight by now. When our turn came I asked if they had a non-smoking room for two.

“Yes.”

“Great! We’ll take it!” I said simply. Sylvia looked at me very strangely. I hadn’t even asked the price! It turned out to be a wonderful and affordable place. There was a park along a river across the street and a delightful little breakfast spot on the next corner.

Thank You, Lord, that we can ask You to find a room for us and be absolutely confident You hear our prayer and answer it. In fact, this is always true no matter what or how simple our need is.