It has been my distinct honor and extraordinary privilege to provide pastoral leadership to four congregations. They have varied in size, region, and personality. And I have learned a plethora of unique and lasting lessons from each one.

One of the most impactful of these lessons occurred during a Bible class at St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church in St Louis, Missouri. I was teaching on the significance of being courageous enough to ask God for the true desires of our hearts, based on Philippians 4:6, which says

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Given that so few quarters of our society have little or no regard for our interests, it is breathtaking to consider that Paul encouraged his auditors “to make their requests known.” Given that so few people around us truly care about what we want, It is breathtaking to consider that Paul believed that God thinks enough of his children to be interested in their requests. Henry Ford once said that if he had asked his customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse. He does have a point! Often, we don’t know what we want. Penetrating to the bedrock of our desire is not an easy task. However, to think that the all powerful, all knowing, and almighty God who created the universe invites us to share our requests—however hazy, haughty, or haggard they may be—snatches the breath away.

As we pressed further into the subject, a woman raised her hand and begged me to share a story that she said could make the point better that I could. She was right. I will never forget what she said. She told of how for years she had asked God to send her a man. She was honest enough to admit that after having been married a few times, she wasn’t interested in being married, she just wanted a man (And in case you didn’t know, there is a huge difference between the two!). She was at the age where she had raised her children, retired from her job, paid for her house, and just wanted male companionship. After three years of praying for a man almost every day, she said she got a call from her former employer asking if she was interested in coming out of retirement to be the principal of Mann Elementary School! She said she should have been more specific!

I laughed for days after she shared that story, and retelling it always brings a bright smile to my face and deep conviction to my heart. It is a reminder that God is a specific God. Ephesians 3:17 says that God is” able to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” It’s wonderful to know that God can do more than we ask. But never forget that God can also do what we ask! Perhaps many of us have not received what we have asked from God not because we haven’t asked for anything, but because we have not been specific enough! I have often imagined God perched on his throne, one arm spread wide, the other akimbo, and eyebrows arched shouting in an exasperated voice “Tell me what you want.” Enough cliches! Enough religious jargon! Enough unfelt desires! Don’t tell me what you think I want for you.. But tell me what YOU really WANT! Make your requests known! And…be specific!

One of my favorite preachers always says that God is everywhere, but God is nowhere if God is not somewhere. That means that God shows up in specific places, at specific times, and in specific ways. It’s what Gerhard Kittel called the “scandal of particularity.” Christianity teaches us that God is not a general God. God is very specific. When God decided to become a man, God became a particular man, in a particular place, at a particular time, to particular parents who were of a particular race. This idea has always been a source of controversy, because some find it incredulous to claim that God would only choose to fully reveal God’s self at one particular point and place and in one person. But this is the radical Christian claim. Our God revels in specificity.

Accordingly, we are invited to be as specific in our requests as God is in God’s revelation. Make your requests known! And make sure you are specific!

Just don’t ask God to make six figures. Ask God to make $250,000 per year.

Just don’t ask God for a fine wife. Ask God for a wife whose measurements are 36-28-42.

Just don’t ask God for a car. Ask God for a 2023 BMW 745i.

You get the idea!

Don’t just ask God for a man. God might offer you the leadership of Mann elementary school!