Just Ask

Matthew 7:7-11
“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!

The Proverbial Serpent

One time not too long ago I was sitting in my bed reading something.  One member of my family came in, just to say "hi."  A nice thing for a brother to do, right?  The problem was, I was pretty thirsty at the time, but just hadn't gotten up to get some water because I was also quite comfortable.  So instead of saying, "Hi, nice to see you, how are you doing?" I said, "Hi, can you get me some water?"  My brother left without saying anything, so I thought maybe he wouldn't get it for me.  But about 5 minutes later, he came back with a glass of ice water.  "Thank you so much!" I said, and he just smiled.  I took a big sip of the cold water.  And then I realized the truth--I had asked for a fish, and been given a snake.  What I was drinking wasn't ice water, but ice water plus Taco Bell medium sauce.  Apparently my brother isn't my servant--how come nobody told me that in all these years?

You have probably been in this situation before, when you asked for something and were given something else.  More likely than not, you have found yourself in this situation not with a person, but with God.  Finding that your prayers have not been answered just as you prayed them can be as shocking as that first gulp of Rylie's taco cocktail.  I asked God to bless me, and look at this.  He didn't come through after all.

These verses from  Matthew 7 have challenged me greatly.  The more I think about them, the more I become convinced that the way I ask, and the way I expect to be answered, don't line up with God's will.  So when I think I've been given a serpent, chances are the problem was with me all along.

A Truly Good Gift

First of all, I need to realize how absolutely certain it is that God will bless me with wonderful gifts.  These verses in Matthew, and many others (i.e., Eph. 1:3, Phil. 2, James 1:17, 1 Pet. 1:4, 2 Pet. 1:3) tell us that God wants to and does give us good gifts. 

Scripture is clear about what God sees as a good gift.  Just look in the Bible for the things that God describes as good or perfect.  Here are just a few:

-Fruitfulness (Luke  6:43)
-The news of the Gospel (Luke 3: 18)
-Obedience (Romans 2:10)
-Everything God does in the life of a believer (Romans 8:28)
-Christlikeness (Romans 8:29)
-God's will (Romans 12:2)

God's word also describes plenty of non-spiritual blessings as good; for example: food, wine, money, singleness, and marriage.  But there is one good gift that rises far above the rest.  Jesus said, "No one is good except God alone (Mark 10:18)."  The best gift that God can give anyone is Himself!

I need to have a strong confidence that God will bless me with Himself anytime I ask!  

No More Apathy

This begs the question, why don't I ask more? 

I don't know if you are like me in this, but when I find myself doing poorly spiritually, I'll often just feel discouraged and leave it at that.  I find I'm constantly confessing sin, but with little change.  My quiet times are weak.  My relationships with others are strained, stressful, or just shallow.  I'm not finding joy in my spiritual walk, so I start looking for happiness in entertainment, comfort, and company.  I don't find happiness, so I get even more down.  And in all my searching for a cure, I neglect the one solution that God has promised will work.

Everything I am missing out on in my spiritual walk is something that God promises to give me, if I'll just ask for it!

As Christians we can and should be 100% confident that God will give us these good gifts when we ask.  But it can be so easy to forget that chooses to base much of His giving on the condition of our asking.  I think that this is why oftentimes we slip into spiritual dry spots.  When we stop asking, we stop receiving.  Does God have to wait for our permission or request before He can bless us?  Of course not!  And He often doesn't.  But His word also makes it clear that sometimes it is His will to bless us specially and extraordinarily when we ask for a good gift. 

Do you think that if you earnestly ask God to enliven your spiritual walk, show you amazing things about Himself, and give you a closer relationship with Him, He'll say no?  There's no chance!  God isn't asking you to get godly on your own.  He isn't asking you to discover the secret formula for a perfect life.  All He wants is for you to ask Him for His help.


Ask earnestly.  Ask purposefully.  Ask diligently.  Ask over and over if you have to.  Whatever you do, don't stop asking.  Because He promises that He won't fail to give you the good and perfect gift of Himself.