Command 17 : Ask, Seek, and Knock | Day 113

Ask for "Good Things"!

One day, a teenage boy informed me that he did not believe in prayer. I asked him why not, and he stated, "Because one time I begged God to answer my prayer and He did not do it." I responded, "If you asked God for the right thing, you can be sure He gave it to you, because He promises that 'everyone that asketh receiveth.' Maybe the problem was that you were not asking for the right thing."

Command Seventeen: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

In this command, God compares His giving to that of a loving father; thus, He reasons, “If his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matthew 7:9-11).

Good things from the Lord are also spoken of in the Psalms. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits ... Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psalm 103:2, 5).

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).

Just as every good gift comes from God, we can be sure that all the things He gives us are indeed good. At times, we may ask for things that we think are good but that would actually bring us harm if we received them. Our omniscient heavenly Father wisely and lovingly does not grant us these requests.

In addition to providing for our needs, God wants to use us as channels of blessing and provision to others. By cooperating with Him in giving to others, we can participate in the advancement of His kingdom. For this reason, the context of this command is significant. The disciples had observed Jesus praying and said, “Lord, teach us to pray." Jesus then gave them a model prayer. It begins with a focus on God's name: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." This is followed by a primary concern for God's kingdom: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Then, our needs are presented: “Give us this day our daily bread." Next, we are challenged to forgive as we would wish to be forgiven: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." The final request is to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil [the evil one]." Then the reason is given for God to answer this prayer: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

When we are more concerned about the name and reputation of God and His kingdom than we are concerned about our own needs and desires, we will have a powerful basis for prayer. Let's take a closer look at the things we pray for to determine if they are "good things" and if our motives in asking are right. (See James 4:3.)