Read Matthew 7:7-11 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. What repeated actions did Jesus talk about?
2. How do the parents in His teaching act?
3. What does that example say about God?
Reflect
Continuing in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urged His followers to persist in asking for what they need. He compared earthly parents – imperfect people who still give good things to their children – to the perfect heavenly Father. How much more will a perfect God give good gifts to His children?
Yesterday we read that God knows all our needs. Today’s passage reassures us that God wants us to ask Him for what we think we need; even if we’re wrong, Jesus says that what God knows we need instead is good. If we don’t trust in His goodness, it might make us anxious when we don’t receive what we’ve asked for, or when God answers our prayers with a message to wait.
When you believe God desires to give you good things, you can more easily remind yourself that God isn’t holding out on you, breaking His promises to you, or punishing you when you don’t get what you thought you needed. Trust that because God is good to you, He has a good reason for the way He answers your prayers, even if you can’t see it yet.
Respond
What are some of the things you think you need, and which of those are things you might not actually need? It might be the need to be liked by everyone, the need to be in control, or the need to always have the right answer. Spend some time in prayer bringing the things you’ve identified to God and thanking Him for the good gifts He desires to give you.