Ask, and it will be given to you

I’ve always had difficulty with this statement from Matthew 7 because I’ve asked God for many things and not received them. It’s one of those statements that you can’t really use without understanding more about what asking something from God should really look like. It should not merely be a request at a time of need, but a recognition that if it’s not from God, it’s not worth wanting.

Andrew Murray, in his book With Christ in the School of Prayer, Writes the following:

The child who only wants to know the love of the father when he has something to ask, will be disappointed. But he who lets God be the Father always and in everything, who would fain live his whole life in the Father’s presence and love, who allows God in all the greatness of His love to be a Father to him, oh! he will experience most gloriously that a life in God’s infinite Fatherliness and continual answers to prayer are inseparable.

So, the next time I ask God for something, I hope that I will be reminded to not only pursue God in my time of need, but be in constant pursuit of understanding what God would have me ask for. What’s the point of asking? I’m not sure I can answer in a short blog post, but I would say it has something to do with recognizing that God is the source of everything we need, and asking Him for these things demonstrates, or better yet, flows out of our desire to be in relationship with Him.