Journey of Prayer

Wednesday, February 10

Day 28--Journey of Peace

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, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 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

If you just read this verse above and felt like we have already discussed a potion of this passage before, well, you're right, we have. I wrote about this verse last week when referring to approaching the Lord in childlike faith. I didn't realize this was going to be a main passage on another day. Now you would think, me being the author of this devotional, that I would have remembered this fact, but no, I did not, at all. (Welcome to my rather-absent-minded world.) Sometimes God uses repetition of things to get my attention, so I'm going to take this as one of those times for the both of us.

So, here we are again. A week later, same verse, with you and me, and our loving Father who knows how to give good gifts to those who ask.

My questions will remain the same:

Are you asking?

Are you trusting?

As I mentioned in the devotional today, the first verse in our passage can imply: Ask and keep asking...seek and keep seeking...knock and keep knocking (v. 7). Did you catch Jesus' promise in the very next verse? You will receive...you will find... and it will be opened (v8). It's as if Jesus is saying this to us, "Keep on keepin' on with your asking. Don't stop. Your faith does not tire me; rather, it inspires me." Ask again and again and again. While do so, trust more and more and more. He always gives his good answer.

Why does our heavenly Father want us to present our requests to him when he knows our needs before we even ask? (Matthew 6:8). Simply put, he is after a relationship with us. Just think of your own children or grandchildren. Are you not thrilled to get a phone call or have a face to face conversation with them? When they ask for something that you know will speak genuine love to them, do you not long to give it to them? How much more will our heavenly Father do the same (v.11)!

Today, believe that you are NOT a tiresome humming buzz in your Father's ear; rather, know that your unique voice is his ultimate delight. Choose to obey his divine words...ask and ask and ask.

Then trust in his very good answer.

For further reading: Psalm 84:11; John 14:3-14; John 15:16; Romans 8:28-32

Dear Lord,

Here I am again! I am trusting in your word that says we can pray non-stop. So, I'm holding my list up to you once more, believing in you as my good good Father. I ask you to pour out your heavenly blessing on every person that I have written on my list. My love for them is great, but your love for them is greater. Amen.