“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Matthew 7:7-11

Dear God, this has always been one of this problematic passages. It can be misinterpreted or misused. But I think the thing it does, on a macro level, is set up the parameters of our relationship with you. I would imagine the people listening to this never really saw you as their father. They probably saw you as the big God in the sky who didn’t really care about them as individuals, but who expected worship from them. But this talk set up something different. It set up a new paradigm for relationship with their God.

I guess in some ways, maybe the people then didn’t understand that they could have a personal relationship with you. I wonder how many people around me feel that way even now. I have been praying to you on a personal level for so long, I think I forget that others don’t see you like I see you. Or I forget that the idea of seeing you as being like their father is a bad thing.

So, my Father, please help me to be more sensitive to the people around me and express your love for them as individuals. Help me to be courageous and insert myself into situations that need your presence. Help me to be a catalyst for the Holy Spirit to intervene in precious lives around me. Help me to not sin in the things I fail to do.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen