Written by: Hailey Case
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! So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
-Matthew 7:7-12
The joy and peace found in these verses are truly wonderful. God is our Father. If we think about our earthly fathers, good or bad, present or not...it gives us hope. No matter how our fathers here on earth are, God is infinitely better. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children…” God points where we fall short because we all fall short and are the first children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3-5). If we as sinful humans can give good gifts to our children, how much better can God give to us?
Taking a step and pondering who God is is truly humbling. God is powerful, unbelievably strong, infinitely good so everything He does is will be perfectly good. He is also infinitely wise and everything He does is perfectly right and good and he is infinitely loving so in His power, strength, goodness, wisdom, He is perfect. Understanding the character of God makes Matthew 7:7-12 so sweet.
Knowing God is the definition of good should offer an invitation to us to pray. In this world we live in, especially the roller coaster this year has been, clinging to the Father should become our response. Jesus’ call for us to pray is repetitive in these verses, emphasizing the importance. He calls us to ask, seek, and knock. Ask God for what you need, seek Him for the help you need, knock on His door. We can find joy in asking the Father for His perfect help!
We can find comfort in trusting that God knows how to be good. If we can give good gifts to our family and friends here on earth and are sinful people, how much better are the gifts of the Father? Even if we do not receive or get the answer we want, we can trust that God is good and His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).
If a child’s father is home, the child will go to their father and ask. In the same way, if their father is home but across the house, the child will go seek their father out. And if their father is behind a closed door, the child will go knock. John Piper says this about Matthew 7:9-12, “The point seems to be that it doesn’t matter whether you find God immediately close at hand, almost touchable with his nearness, or hard to see and even with barriers between, he will hear, and he will give good things to you because you looked to him and not another.” No matter where we are, God hears us and loves us so dearly.
These promises of everyone receiving are for the children of God.
“To all who did receive him [Jesus], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” To become the child of God, we must receive the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who gives us the authority of adoption. That is who these promises are for” -John 1:12
Those who believe in Jesus and the work done on the cross and ask, seek, and knock are heard and can receive good things from the Father because, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17). He is our Father, He is good. We are His children and He will never give us what is bad, He is a good good Father.
With love,
Hailey