Read Matthew 7:7-11

“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…”

Have you ever been courageous enough to boldly ask God for something from the bottom of your heart? If so, it’s quite likely that it was in a season of desperation when it seemed like there was nowhere else to turn. While this is wonderful, it’s not the picture Jesus is trying to paint as the normal, everyday way to pray. Jesus invites us to ask God for whatever it is we need, whenever we need it.

One of the simple reasons some of us fail to send our requests to God is that we can be too quick to question either our intentions or his. This is because the more we know Jesus the more we realise our faults and ill-intentions that lurk deep within us. This can make us too quick to silence the desires that arise within us each day. Likewise, much of our culture questions whether God really wants to meet our needs. Many even question, “Is he even listening anyway?”

In contrast to our cautions, Jesus simply says, “Ask, seek, knock! Got a prayer? Pray! Looking for answers? Explore! Want a new direction? Step!” It seems that he is encouraging us to throw our cautions and concerns to the wind and entrust ourselves and our mixed bag of intentions to God. One of the reasons Jesus seems so confident to encourage us to simply reach for what we want is that he knows that our Father in Heaven isn’t going to give us anything evil. Neither is he simply required to give us exactly what we ask for either! In fact, aside from not giving us stones or snakes for food, his fatherly nature is to give us surprisingly good gifts.

If I ask my kids what they want for breakfast they may say, “Ice cream”! In response, I’d never give them gravel, but neither would I necessarily give them ice cream. While their desire is for ice cream, they are simply immaturely expressing their need for sustenance. So I might respond with a good, healthy answer to their request, “How about eggs on toast? Or honey and pancakes?” I’m doing what a good father aims to do, to meet the needs of my children with as much lovingkindness as I can. On the weekends I may even suggest, “Hey, how about pancakes with ice cream?!” The reason I’d add in the ice cream is simply because I am filled with joy when I meet not only their needs but also their desires.

Once we realise that God is good and only brings good answers to our requests, we won’t fear our own ill-intent or God’s malicious response. Rather, we become like a little child with a father who loves to cook for them! We simply ask, “Please God can I have some……?”.

So, ask. Seek. Knock.