Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 20, 2009

Ask, seek, knock: Trust God, your Father, to give you good things

Today’s devotion was 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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
                                                      

9  “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?

10  “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

11  “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 what is good to those who ask Him!”  Matthew 7:7-11.  

 

Here are some quotes (not contiguous) from Calvin on his Commentary on these verses.

“Ask, and it shall be given you.  It is an exhortation to prayer: and as in this exercise of religion, which ought to be our first concern, we are so careless and sluggish, Christ presses the same thing upon us under three forms of expression. There is no superfluity of language, when he says, Ask, seek, knock: but lest the simple doctrine should be unimpressive, he perseveres in order to rouse us from our inactivity.

He uses the metaphor seek, because we think, that those things which our wants and necessities require are far distant from us — and knock, because our carnal senses imagine, that those things which are not immediately at hand are shut up.

Though he gives all things freely to us, yet, in order to exercise our faith, he commands us to pray, that he may grant to our requests those blessings which flow from his undeserved goodness.

Is there any man among you?  It is a comparison from the less to the greater. First, our Lord contrasts the malice of men with the boundless goodness of God.  Self-love (φιλαυτία) renders us malicious: for every man is too much devoted to himself, and neglects and disregards others.  But this vice yields to the stronger feelings of a father’s love, so that men forget themselves, and give to their children with overflowing liberality. Whence comes this, but because God, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, (Ephesians 3:15,) drops into their hearts a portion of his goodness?  But if the little drops produce such an amount of beneficence, what ought we to expect from the inexhaustible ocean? Would God, who thus opens the hearts of men, shut his own?  Let us also remember that passage of Isaiah, “Though a mother forget her children,” (Isaiah 49:15,) yet the Lord will be like himself, and will always show himself to be a Father.

Your Father will give good things.  This is expressly mentioned by Christ, that believers may not give way to foolish and improper desires in prayer. We know how great influence, in this respect, is exerted by the excesses and presumption of our flesh.

Christ therefore enjoins us to submit our desires to the will of God, that he may give us nothing more than he knows to be advantageous. We must not think that he takes no notice of us, when he does not answer our wishes: for he has a right to distinguish what we actually need. All our affections being blind, the rule of prayer must be sought from the word of God: for we are not competent judges of so weighty a matter. He who desires to approach God with the conviction that he will be heard, must learn to restrain his heart from asking any thing that is not agreeable to his will.  “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”  (James 4:3)

Here is the link to the full commentary on these verses –

 
 
Although Commentaries can be helpful, we must be careful to not let the Commentary overwhelm the simple and clear commands in Scripture.  Here, I think there is a particular danger that we can be so careful about what we ask (so that we do not “give way to foolish and improper desires in prayer”) that we omit to “ask, seek, knock” as we are commanded here.  
 
Let us consider the analogy given in this Scripture.  Children do often ask for foolish and improper things.  And yet, the father is not angered nor upset;  the father will only give what is good to his children. 
 
Although Scripture does warn us later (“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”  (James 4:3) ), here, the Scripture does not so warn us.  I think the reason for this “omission” here is that it is so important that we “Ask, seek, knock:  Trust God, your Father, to give you good things” that we need to consider it first alone and digest it first alone, before we go on to other thoughts.  The specific context of James 4:3 is that James was addressing the source of quarrels and conflicts.  Here, Jesus was speaking more generally. 
 
Therefore, let us generally, be simple and direct, like children, in asking for good things.  Let us ask in simple “child-like faith”, rather than worrying too much about whether or not our requests are proper.  Let us remember that the very essence of faith includes the element that God is a rewarder.  “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  Hebrews 11:6.
 
When we find ourselves in the specific context of quarrels and conflicts, we can then be more careful as to what we ask. 
 
In any event, we also need to trust God that He will reveal any imperfect attitude and correct it, including improper prayer requests.  “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;  however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”  Philippians 3:14-16.

Posted in Uncategorized

«
»

Categories