Ask, Seek, Knock

“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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7-11

A teenager does not ask his neighbor for money. He goes to his mom or dad hoping for an extended hand and, on most occasions, finding at least a portion of his request granted. Uppermost in our thinking regarding prayer is the encouraging truth that our supplications and needs are received by our heavenly Father, not a distant deity.

It is the fatherhood of God that forms the foundation for biblical prayer. That is why Jesus taught us to say: “Our Father who art it heaven” and explained that our requests are heard and answered by our “Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:11). You do not have to wrench a response from a reluctant God; but you can come to Him as your kind, loving, generous, and understanding Father. Such is the intimacy that God desires with you.

If His response is not what you expected, don’t pout. If He withholds your request, stay thankful. God knows what is best for you, even when you don’t. Prayer is talk between Father and son, Father and daughter. God is never cold or distant, but always accessible, available, and ready to give His best.

“The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer.” -F.B. Meyer