“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
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
Jesus commends persistent asking, with the unsaid understanding that the process of continual, pleading prayer brings benefits in itself. It weans us from self-dependence, from selfish motive and pride, and shapes our desires to conform to His will. So much of His teaching is about how we are to think, want, and behave. Continual prayer changes us.
Christ’s teachings also reveal a lot about Him. Jesus compares how a parent gives gifts to the way He does. A good parent knows his children, and gives balancing need and ability. He gives according to wisdom and proper economy. He does not reward greed or selfishness, he does not lavish on the ungrateful, he does not give more than a child can rightly handle. The discerning parent is always appropriate, always doing according to long-term good, always keeping eternity in mind. So if a parent’s how sometimes requires temporary withholding or a permanent answer of ‘no,’ the Lord does all the better.
How generous are we with the Lord when we desire His gifts? How willingly do we give ourselves- our focus, our longings, our dependence, out time and attention- in regular prayer? The more we go to God, and consider Him before personal wants or plans, the more readily He develops the desires of our hearts. Over time lingering in prayer with Him, they grow to align with His. God’s giving in answer is often a a gift of deeper knowledge of Him and conformity to His character. He grants patience in waiting, a diminishing of greed in want, greater compassion for a critical spirit. His giving is a combination of response to our stated requests and His good plans for us, as He knows what our real needs are. (Matthew 6:8; Romans 12:1-2)
Do we trust God’s answers when we seek His help and favor? How devoted are we to seek Him more than we seek answers and things? How carefully do we model our own giving after His wise, generous benevolence toward us?
Lord, Giver of every good and perfect gift, teach me to pray rightly and to give according to the ways You give to me. (James 1:17)
As the rain and snow 