{"id":45071,"date":"2009-06-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-06-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/god-gives-before-we-ask\/"},"modified":"2009-06-08T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:53:22","slug":"god-gives-before-we-ask","status":"publish","type":"sermon-illustrations","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/god-gives-before-we-ask\/","title":{"rendered":"God Gives Before We Ask"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Max Lucado writes in the &ldquo;Cure for the Common Life&rdquo;:<\/p>\n\n<p>The bank sent me an overdraft notice on the checking account of one of my daughters. I encourage my college-age girls to monitor their accounts. Even so, they sometimes overspend.<\/p>\n\n<p>What should I do? Send her an angry letter? Admonition might help her later, but it won&#39;t satisfy the bank. Phone and tell her to make a deposit? Might as well tell a fish to fly. I know her liquidity. Zero. Transfer the money from my account to hers? Seemed to be the best option. After all, I had $25.37. I could replenish her account and pay the overdraft fee as well. Since she calls me Dad, I did what dads do. I covered my daughter&#39;s mistake.<\/p>\n\n<p>When I told her she was overdrawn, she said she was sorry. Still, she offered no deposit. She was broke. She had one option, &quot;Dad, could you&hellip;&quot; &quot;Honey,&quot; I interrupted, &quot;I already have.&quot; I met her need before she knew she had one.<\/p>\n\n<p>Long before you knew you needed grace, your Father did the same. He made an ample deposit. Before you knew you needed a Savior, you had one. And when you ask him for mercy, he answers, &quot;Dear child. I&#39;ve already given it.&quot;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"template":"","tax_ctp_audience":[310],"tax_ctp_authors":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[165],"tax_ctp_format":[171],"tax_ctp_illustration_types":[406,411],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[140],"tax_ctp_tags":[3540,3569,3573,3677,3719,3723,3737,3738,3886,3960,3967,3968,3969,3971,4088,4091,4110,4141,4167,4176,4262,4263,4293,4317,4399,4400,4461,4596,4780,4782,4845,4877,4977],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-45071","sermon-illustrations","type-sermon-illustrations","status-publish","hentry","tax_publications-ct-pastors","tax_ctp_tags-calvary","tax_ctp_tags-children","tax_ctp_tags-christ","tax_ctp_tags-consequences-of-sin","tax_ctp_tags-cross-of-christ","tax_ctp_tags-crucifixion","tax_ctp_tags-death","tax_ctp_tags-death-of-christ","tax_ctp_tags-eternal-life","tax_ctp_tags-family","tax_ctp_tags-fathers-day","tax_ctp_tags-fatherhood","tax_ctp_tags-fatherhood-of-god","tax_ctp_tags-fathers","tax_ctp_tags-grace","tax_ctp_tags-grandparents-day","tax_ctp_tags-guilt","tax_ctp_tags-help-from-god","tax_ctp_tags-hope","tax_ctp_tags-human-condition","tax_ctp_tags-instruction","tax_ctp_tags-instruction-of-children","tax_ctp_tags-jesus-christ","tax_ctp_tags-justification","tax_ctp_tags-love-of-christ","tax_ctp_tags-love-of-god","tax_ctp_tags-mercy-of-god","tax_ctp_tags-parenting","tax_ctp_tags-redeemer","tax_ctp_tags-redemption","tax_ctp_tags-righteousness","tax_ctp_tags-salvation","tax_ctp_tags-sin"],"acf":{"scripture_references":[{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>God Gives Before We Ask - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/god-gives-before-we-ask\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"God Gives Before We Ask - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Max Lucado writes in the &ldquo;Cure for the Common Life&rdquo;: The bank sent me an overdraft notice on the checking account of one of my daughters. 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