Matthew 7:7 – 11 ESV Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him
This is a passage that is often misunderstood, misquoted, and misused. Yet it is a very comforting scripture to those who wish to grow in their relationship with God.
One comfort that is implicit in these verses is that God hears our prayers. If we ask He will hear us and respond. While His response might not always be what we want or expected, we will receive an answer.
What we receive will be good. It will be the best for us. It may not be exactly what we asked for but it will be what we need, in the way that best meets our needs.
Asking is part of the equation. God knows what we need and want before we ask for it (Matthew 6:8). We do not ask so that God learns what we want but we ask because God wants the gifts He gives us to be relational. He wants us to ask because he wants us to communicate with Him. Our communication with God should not solely consist of asking, but asking is an important component of the communication God wants.
I am convinced that many Christians do without blessings that God would gladly give them because they do not ask (James 4:2b). Of course we need to know what to ask for. The Bible is clear in the gifts God wants to give us. He is willing; I believe even eager, to pour out peace, joy, courage, power, faith, and opportunities to minister/serve onto His children.
Some people use this scripture along with a few others to teach the “name it and claim it” theology. Taken by itself it can seem to say that. Every passage in the Bible must be taken in the context of the whole Bible. James 4:3 (ESV) says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” God gives generously and abundantly but He does not give us whatever our greed desires.
God is the perfect Father. Good fathers love to give good gifts to their children. Every good parent knows if you give too much you will spoil the child and he or she will not appreciate what they have. As the perfect Father God gives generously but does not spoil us.
To some of His children God gives much more because He knows they will not hoard it for their own pleasure but be a conduit for the resources to pass through them to others. God gives much less to other of His children because He knows too much would make them worldly, complacent, and indulgent.
God has blessed me incredibly. My wife and I are amply supplied to meet our needs with extra left over. We try to be faithful to share our extra. In His mercy God does not give me too much though. I am not a man who could easily handle wealth. I can see the tendency in me to indulge my flesh when given too much. We are comfortable enough but still dependent on God to make ends meet.
In the next post I will cover the concepts of seeking and knocking.
Almighty and gracious God, You are the perfect Father! You are loving and generous, yet wise enough to temper Your generosity. Give me the insight to know what You wish to give me and the ability to ask for it boldly. Let me never ask for things to gratify my own worldly desires.