First I need to confess that I am a food storage nut. I take the story of Joseph in Egypt to heart, and have prayed for many years for a Joseph annointing to organize our household in a way that brings blessing to our family. So I got a good chuckle the other day when I looked down at my two full chest freezers and realized that Joseph stored up enough food to feed the country of Egypt for seven years. Now, I have no seven year goal, but I love to catch things on a great sale and buy up enough to last us until the next great sale. I also like to make the most of our garden produce by canning, drying, and freezing it.

Each May finds me sniffing out my Mom’s and MIL’s rhubarb patches. They always share generously, and I always wish I could get my greedy little hands on a little bit more. I had noticed a glorious rhubarb patch in the garden grounds of local church last spring, and found myself thinking about it often as June ended. I’ve never attended the church, and don’t know anyone who does. But I kept having it on my heart to call them and ask about the rhubarb. After a week or so of this prompting, I left a message on the pastor’s voicemail: introducing myself out of the blue, explaining my crazy prompting, and asking him if the patch was being used. He returned my call and said they didn’t think rhubarb was any good after May. He gave me permission to take as much as I could use. Manna from heaven! Matt and I were able to put 13 more quarts of chopped rhubarb in the freezer! That may not sound very interesting to you, but around here it means lots of strawberry rhubarb jam and yummy desserts.

The Lord gave me an opportunity to bless my family, but I had to step out of my comfort zone and ask for it. It reminds me of one of the Chronicles of Narnia, The Magician’s Nephew, where the children are complaining that Aslan didn’t provide food for their journey.

“‘I’m sure Aslan would have, if you’d asked him,’ said Fledge [the flying horse].
‘ Wouldn’t he know without being asked?’ said Polly.
‘ I’ve no doubt he would,’ said the Horse. . .’But I’ve a sort of idea he likes to be asked.'”

Now I’m not trying to imply that our every desire is ours for the asking, if we only mention it to the Lord. But I feel the Lord using this to teach me that he’s interested in every part of my life and my heart, even the rhubarb-squirelling part. That he wants me to include him in the mundane tasks of my day because he enjoys doing life with me. He’s God. He could knock down the door and force his way in, but he doesn’t. He waits to be asked.