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"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."
(Matthew 7:7-8)
Do you ask God for too little? Bruce Wilkinson tells the story of a man who dies and goes to heaven. An angel is giving him a tour and they pass this large room with all of these unopened presents. The man asks, "What are all these unopened gifts?" The angel replies that these are the blessings God would have given had we only asked. Does this mean we should ask God for a million dollars and He will give it to us? It is always good to interpret Scripture as a whole. Let other biblical texts help us interpret the verses we are reading. For example, James 4:3 teaches us that we ask but do not receive because we ask with impure motives. Also, 1 John 5:14-15 instruct us regarding prayer: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." Therefore, we can conclude from the Bible that God will indeed grant us what we ask if we pray with pure motives and if it is within His sovereign will to grant us what we are asking.
I think we are guilty more of asking too little of God rather than asking too much. Let us pray and pray some more! If our hearts are right and we ask in accordance with the will of God, then we will receive what we are praying for. What do you do, however, when you pray with a pure heart and you truly believe it is God's will that you receive your requests, but you do not receive them? I think at this point we have a wonderful opportunity to trust God, knowing that He is smarter than we are and that ultimately, this must not be His will for us, at least at this time.
If you are a parent and your child asks you something with a pure heart, what will you do? If you believe it to be in the best interest of your child, then you will grant the request. God loves us even more than our earthly parents. He is not "holding out on us" or seeking ways to punish or harm us. God is for us and He loves us! The verses immediately following our biblical text for today are also very helpful and instructive in the matter of intercessory prayer. Jesus taught in Matthew 7:9-11: "What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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 good things to those who ask Him!"
I encourage you to ask God in faith for what you earnestly desire. Ask with a pure heart and motives, and if it is in the will of God, then He will grant it to you. If He does not grant it, then rest assured, He is saying "no" or "not right now" because He is protecting you or He has something even better for you.
Pray and pray some more. Pray when you feel like it and especially when you do not feel like it. God hears you. God loves you. He will answer you.
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Build a stronger, more confident faith!
Pastor Danny gives you God’s answers to life’s big questions in his 7-message series, Explore God.
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Family Goals, Pt. 1: the Triangle
Pastor Danny begins a new series of episodes called "Family Goals" with his wife, Ashley. To start the series, they share their story of finding each other, falling in love, getting married, and starting a family. They also discuss how the most critical element of a successful marriage, it's foundation, should be each person's relationship with God and putting God first, each other next, above oneself, and children third.
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