Lent Day 7: Knockin’ on the Door of Heaven

⁷ Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:7-12

Back in high school, my philosophy teacher Mr. Volk used to joke around about how to make “kind” revenge on your neighbor who makes too much ruckus in the neighborhood with their loud house parties or with their annoying sports car with an obnoxious exhaust note. He told us to buy the neighbor’s kid a drum set. The child will love it, but the parents have no idea the treat they are in for when their kid starts bashing away at it. We would laugh hysterically at that remark – both at the ingenious but sinister nature.

In the Christian faith, what do we constitute as “good gifts”? When we pray, have we asked God for his good gifts? Sometimes, and many of the time we pray for the things we think are “good” – but possibly only good in our eyes. There are times as well that we settle for mediocrity such as: “God, please let me pass this test.” or “Lord, Please let me become successful.” The issue with these prayers are not that they’re generic, but that they lack trust and confidence in the Lord.

When we begin to surrender and submit to God in prayer, we must begin to believe that God gives good and perfect gifts to shape our circumstances – that we should become his glory.

¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – James 1:17

Here is the thing, God only gives us gifts that he deems to be good for us. He often knows better about our needs more than we think we do for ourselves. Thus, when we ask God, when we knock on the door, we must be ready to walk through it – to be in his house, his presence, where he is the master. Our greatest blessing is that we are a part of that great plan.

“God speaks to people who decide they’re going to do what he tells them to do, even before he tells them. It’s saying, “God, if you want me to move, I’ll move. If you want me to get married, I’ll get married. If you want me to leave this job, I’ll leave this job. Before you even tell me, my answer is ‘yes.’ Whatever you want me to do, I will do it.”

– Rick Warren, Saddleback Church

Bottom Line: Put your faith in the Lord when you pray, and believe that he has a great plan set out for you. Entrust in him your requests, and know that his gifts are always good, and always perfect.