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

thingslike 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 desiresfor 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:

Matthew 7:7-Matthew 7:11; Philippians 4:6; Hebrews 4:16