Peanut Butter and Jelly Cake

When I was in fifth grade, I made a unique request of my mom. For my
birthday, I wanted a homemade cake with homemade icing. Specifically, I
asked for frosting made of peanut butter and jelly. Once in a while, my
mother would whip up a cake for dessert and, if she didn’t have a can of
store-bought frosting, she would mix some of her homemade jelly with peanut
butter from the kitchen cabinet to ice the cake. It always satisfied my
brothers and me. So, why not ask for it for my birthday? I’m sure Mama
would have purchased icing if I’d wanted it. But I desired the homemade
concoction. On my birthday, we sliced into the three-layer golden cake
lathered in Mama’s peanut-butter-and-jelly goodness. Mama probably used an
entire jar of her homemade blackberry jelly to create what I’d requested.
And my siblings, grandparents, and I all dug in with gusto. Surely, I could
have marked my birthday without the special cake I’d craved. But I believe
Mama wanted to delight me at my celebration, and I think she delighted in
giving me what I desired. Similarly, God is a good Father who loves to give
good gifts to His children. For those who’ve trusted in His Son, Jesus, for
the forgiveness of our sins, we have the privilege of approaching God with
all our requests. Of course, God won’t grant us every specific thing we ask
for, yet God tells us we can ask for what we want, trusting that He is a
generous giver. If I had not requested the peanut-butter-and-jelly cake
from Mama, I probably wouldn’t have gotten it that year. But I asked, and
she provided. Similarly, we can come to our heavenly Father and present all
of our requests. • Allison Wilson Lee • God has created so many good
things—like tasty food! He loves it when we enjoy His good gifts, and He
invites us to be honest about our desires. Have you ever wanted something
but felt hesitant to ask for it? Do you have any longings that feel too big
or too small to bring to God? • As we grow in relationship with God through
Jesus, we desire more and more of what God desires—for His kingdom to come,
for His will to be done, for His righteousness, peace, and joy to spread
through every nook and cranny of creation! God invites us to pray for all
these things along with our other desires. If you want to dig deeper, read
Matthew 6:9-10 and Romans 14:17. In every situation…present your requests
to God. Philippians 4:6b (NIV)

Read Verses:

Matt.7.7-Matt.7.11|Phil.4.6|Heb.4.16