#7 Who Is God? | A Giving Parent

Father

“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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being 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!” (Matthew 7:7-11)

Journal Entry

“God will never give you things prematurely. In addition, with some things, you have to realise your need before He can give them to you. This passage highlights the fact that God is waiting and willing to bless you. The preceding chapter states that He knows your needs, and here it mentions that He wants to give them to you. He would never give you what you don’t need; the question is whether you’re ready to ask/seek/knock AND believe that He wants to bless.

Father, help me not to be apprehensive about asking for things I know I need. Your word is clear and true, I need to trust You.



Commentary

I’ve come to realise that my issue isn’t doubting whether God will do something; it’s sitting with the discomfort of not knowing when He’ll do it. What I regard as a timely answer to my prayer differs from the perspective of the Author of time. Case in point, I’ve been praying that I don’t remain unemployed for a long time after arriving home, well, it just so happens that I arrived today and  I have an interview on Monday. I’m super excited about the role and if I get the job the answer to my prayer couldn’t have come any faster. But suppose I don’t… Suppose it takes months of putting my best foot forward and I remain jobless. What then? I’ve purposely been applying selectively rather than indiscriminately. However, if there isn’t a ‘timely’ answer to my prayer, it might be tempting to rely on plan B: doing any job.

Self-sufficiency robs you of experiencing God as the Giver He desires to be.

Deviating from faith due to a false sense of desertion doesn’t solve problems, it creates problems. If you feel like He’s left you hanging, it’s worth remembering:

  1. God values boldness – the instructions are clear, He certainly didn’t ask you to be timid i.e. murmur/browse/tap. The passage doesn’t state how long you’ll need to ask/seek/knock, however those who do so timidly aren’t embracing Hebrews 11:6.
  2. God only gives good gifts – is what you want truly good, or is it good because you want it? In other words, you need to examine it’s ‘goodness’ from God’s perspective, not yours.
  3. God is never late* – if you perceive a ‘delay’, ask God how you can spend your time constructively. I can assure you that He won’t endorse worrying, complaining, or plotting ideas about what happens if He ‘doesn’t come through.’ What could you be doing instead?

*Persevering in prayer is enjoyable when you don’t make your request an idol.



So…

Part of asking/seeking/knocking is trusting God’s timing about the outcome. Waiting is hard, but it’s a whole lot easier when you have faith that your Father will provide. He’s the giver of every good gift (James 1:17) and He wouldn’t withhold something beneficial (Psalm 84:11) – why doubt?

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