“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.” Matthew 7:7a
In our study this week, we discussed the truth that God, who is all-knowing and cares for us, gives good gifts to His people. Each one of us has been a recipient of God's good gifts to us. Receiving God's good gifts to us would have been enough, but God goes a step further than simply giving good gifts. He invites us to come to Him with our requests and needs because He cares about us and wants to have a relationship with us.
While teaching one day, Jesus invited a listening crowd in Matthew 7 to come before God and ask Him for what they need. As He was teaching about prayer, He said, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for" (verse 7). Notice that Jesus did not just say "ask" in this passage of Scripture. He said, "Keep on asking." The call to bring our requests before God is not just a one-time invitation; it is a recurring invitation. We can continue to come before God, bringing our requests to Him. The promise Jesus gave here is that if we "keep on asking," we "will receive what [we] ask for" (verse 7). This does not mean that God will give us everything we want. After all, each one of us has experienced prayers that were answered with "wait" or "no" instead of "yes." Jesus was teaching here that if we persistently come before God and present our requests to Him, He will respond to our prayers according to His perfect love, knowledge, and will.
We have established the importance of “asking,” going before God in prayer with our requests. What do we pray about, however? The apostle Paul answers this question for us in Philippians 4. He wrote, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done" (verse 6). What can we pray about, according to Paul, in this passage of Scripture? We can pray about everything. We can pray about anything and everything that is on our hearts and minds. As it has been said, "What concerns you concerns Him."
What a privilege we have to come before God, our Heavenly Father, and talk to Him and ask Him for what we need. What peace we can have knowing that God hears and responds to our prayers. May we have a lifestyle of talking to God in prayer, including asking Him for what we need, knowing that He cares for us.
Turn to God today and pray. Share with Him your requests and concerns. Ask Him specifically to provide for you in the areas where you are in need. Thank Him that He invites you to come to Him with your requests and burdens. Tell Him that you trust Him to respond to you according to His wisdom, care, and provision for you.
Philippians 4:1-9
1Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
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