Matthew 7:7–11 (ESV)
Ask, and It Will Be Given
7 “Ask,
and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or
which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 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 not my favorite passage. It can be confusing
to a lot of people who think God might not be listening to their prayer requests. That couldn’t be from the truth. God does listen, but he answers according to His will, not yours. I know that some have prayed for God to spare their
mother, father, or perhaps a child… and that didn’t happen. I know some have left the faith, because today’s passage says “Ask, and it will be given to you.” There are other passages that need to be taken into consideration.
The Lutheran Study Bible states: “Jesus emphasizes the blessings and importance of prayer. Most important is our heavenly Father’s eagerness to give His children “good things.” Because we are evil, we do not always recognize that
God answers every prayer for our good (Rm 8:28). Jesus guarantees that we receive God’s mercy and blessings (2Co 1:20).
I pray: O Father in heaven, You give only good things to me. Increase my trust and confidence in Your goodness. Amen.
Engelbrecht,
E. A. (2009). The Lutheran Study Bible (p. 1592). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.