When I woke up this morning, the Holy Spirit reminded me of a dream I had at some point during the night. In the dream, Pastor Eddie and I had gone to a restaurant to eat, and I had ordered a salad bar. The one thing about the salad bar I remember is that everything had a label, and one of those labels stood out: “Arugula.” Why arugula? I think the Holy Spirit used it to make sure I remembered the dream. You see, earlier that evening I had watched a cooking show in which Bobby Flay used arugula in one of his dishes.
Well, later in the dream, when we got home, I went into the kitchen, and guess what I found? A Salad Bar!! As I scanned the containers, I saw a label that said—-yep, you guessed it—-“Arugula!” When I saw it, I knew this was the same salad bar from the restaurant. So I said to Pastor, “You brought the Salad Bar home?” And he responded, “I just asked for it.” Of course, I laughed. I even thought to myself, “Boy, you so crazy!”
As I meditate on this dream, two things stand out to me. The first is the fact that Pastor was not afraid to ask the people at the restaurant for what he wanted. The Bible tells us that we have not because we ask not (James 4:2). It’s a simple concept but one we oftentimes fail to utilize because we truly don’t believe we can have that thing or because we aren’t bold enough to ask.
I probably wouldn’t have asked because I may have thought it was an outlandish request. I mean, what would the people at the restaurant think? But I do know that Pastor is a bold individual. He will petition the Lord for anything, which is why I’m sure his being the one to ask for the salad bar is no coincidence.
Secondly, in this dream, Pastor exceeded my request. I ordered a salad bar, and I got….a Salad Bar! Having been married to Pastor Eddie for a number of years, I can tell you that he does pay attention to what I say. It’s been this way for as long as I can remember. For instance, on our first date, I mentioned that I liked apple Jolly Ranchers and Werther’s Original. I also said that I wanted to get the book, Waiting to Excel. Well, shortly after our date, he showed up on my doorstep with a big glass bowl that was filled with my two favorite candies, and underneath those treats was the book I wanted! The rest is history…..
Well, if other people can pay that much attention to what we say, how much more does our Heavenly Father hang on our every word? As Matthew 7:11 tells us, “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?” The operative word here is “ask.”
As we celebrate Father’s Day, don’t forget about our Heavenly Father who desires to give good gifts to His children. Remember our Heavenly Father who “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Only He can take your simple request and turn it into so much more—because a salad bar to Him is a SALAD BAR and then some—maybe even the whole restaurant or what about the whole chain of restaurants? Who knows? All we have to do is ask!
In His Love,
Veronica Yon
