The God Who Gives Good Things

Prayer is not formulaic.

It’s not an incantation that, if said correctly, will magically provide what we’ve summoned. But then there are statements like Matthew 7:7–12, where Jesus says that if we ask, we will receive from The God who gives good things.

How does that work?
We can be sure that Jesus is not trying to give us a formula or a blank check. Instead, he is teaching us something about our relationship with God and the way he responds to our concerns.

Too often, we treat prayer like a karma-driven algorithm. We ask God for the things we really want, but we don’t expect him to give us precisely that. Life has taught us not to expect a favorable answer. We never really believed that we deserved it, anyway. 

But that approach is at odds with Jesus’ words here. Because prayer has nothing to do with our performance. It’s not about karma.

Prayer is about a relationship with God.

Prayer is about a relationship with God, who happens to be a loving father. Just as a loving father would not give his daughter a snake when she asks for a fish or a stone when she asks for bread, so our loving father will not try to trick, disappoint, or punish us in response to our requests. 

Why? 

Because he loves us. So, he listens to our requests. 
If you’ve ever earnestly asked God for something good and instead received something devastating, you need to hear these words from Jesus.

Prayer is relational. Your father loves you. Keep praying, because he cares about your wellbeing. He wants you to continue to draw near.

It’s not a formula that works exactly the same every time, it’s a relationship. And your father’s end goal is to bless you. Lean into that as you pray.  

Money Struggles

Placing our hope in money and possessions is so easy for us to do. Trusting in God’s provision over our lives is not.

We can see and feel money and somehow feel comforted but the peace it provides is temporary.

Placing our hope in something that can be gone tomorrow will set us up for disappointment. So, let’s choose to trust God for His provision and hope is eternal.

Let us Pray!

The earth is Yours, Lord, and everything in it. For all the animals of the forest are Yours, and You own the cattle on a thousand hills.

You know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are Yours. So, I won’t worry about anything because You, God, are my Heavenly Father, and You know my needs.

You care for the lilies of the field and the birds in the sky—how much more valuable am I than them!

How great is Your goodness that You’ve stored up for those who trust You. God, you’re able to do immeasurably more than all I can even ask or imagine, according to Your power that’s at work within me.

I’ll seek Your Kingdom above all else, and I trust that You’ll meet all my needs according to the riches of Your glory in Christ Jesus. 

Amen