Come and Ask Me for Good Gifts

Church family:
Take a moment to think about this: the greatest invitation in the world is extended to us from the God of the universe, our Heavenly Father, "come and ask me for good gifts” (Matthew 7:7–11). Jesus invites us to come to our Father again and again to ask, seek, and knock with confidence. Of course, this is not a blank check for everything on our wish list. It is an invitation to keep praying, trusting that our Father knows how to give what is truly good even when we unknowingly ask for something that is not.
That means prayer is not a way to manipulate God into approving our plans. Through prayer our desires are shaped, our faith is deepened, and our hearts are aligned with our Heavenly Father’s wisdom. Sometimes God gives exactly what we ask for; other times, He gives something different and better than what we would have chosen for ourselves. That is why prayer is such a gift—even when we unknowingly ask for stones and serpents, our heavenly Father gives us the bread and fish we actually need.
We see this pattern in Scripture. Jesus in Gethsemane asked for the cup of suffering to pass, yet Jesus was not given escape; He was given the sustaining grace needed for obedience. The Father answered by carrying out redemption through the Son’s suffering, and Jesus’ cup became the cup that secured salvation for His people (Matthew 26:36-46).
Paul pleaded three times for his thorn (suffering/affliction/weakness) to be removed, but Christ gave Paul both His sufficient grace and His power made perfect in weakness instead of removing the thorn (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). That means Paul received ongoing help from the Lord to endure, stay humble, and keep relying on Christ's power rather than on his own weaknesses.
That is often how God works with us too. He may not give the exact answer we wanted, but He gives something deeper: endurance, humility, wisdom, peace, and grace that holds us steady when circumstances do not change.
Matthew 7:7–11 is not a call to quit praying when God’s answer is not what we expected. It is a call to press in, to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking because the Father we approach is perfectly good and infinitely wise. Sometimes He says, “yes.” Sometimes He says, “no.” Sometimes He says, “wait.” But every time, He gives what is best, even when it is far better than anything we knew to ask for.
So, GCT, let’s respond with a fresh commitment to prayer personally, in our families, and in our Grace Groups. Let’s come boldly as children of God, trusting the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Your Father is not stingy, indifferent, or cruel. He is generous, holy, and sovereign, and every gift He gives is filtered through perfect love. Ask, seek, knock. Keep coming to your Heavenly Father who knows how to give what is truly good.

See you Sunday, asking, seeking, knocking: Steve