Where Is Your Treasure?Sample

Ask and it will be given

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

This is an astounding promise. “Ask, and it will be given to you.” But it is also puzzling. Perhaps you’re thinking, “I ask for a lot of things that I don’t get. How is this true?” We should ask two questions to clarify: Who is this a promise to? What is this a promise of?

First, who is this a promise to? Anybody and everybody? No; in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is addressing believers—those who can call God “Father,” who have trusted Christ as Savior. Moreover, Jesus is not talking to believers in general, but to those who are going all out for Christ. They are poor in spirit, gentle, merciful, and persecuted. They are salt and light. They obey God. They are not perfect people, but they are surrendered people. So, this is an astounding promise to you if you are fully surrendered to Jesus, if you are going all-out for Christ. 

The second question, “What is this a promise of?” Jesus clarifies in verses Matthew 7:9–11: “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him.” What is Jesus’ point here? God is more ready to give good gifts to His children than we are. If you have children or grandchildren, then you like saying yes to them. You like to give them good things.

But sometimes our children ask for things that are not good for them, and we say no for their sake. Moreover, sometimes we ask for things, and they are good things, but we don’t need them yet. God intends to give them to us, but not yet. We don’t like waiting. We don’t want to wait three seconds for our slow computers. But God uses waiting. It’s one of the main things God uses to shape our souls, to teach us dependence, endurance, faith, and gratitude.

This passage shows us the heart of a father. Whenever we ask, God’s heart is to say “yes” to us. So ask, ask, ask. And, if it’s a good thing for you, at this time, you can know that your loving Father will say “yes.” See the heart of a Father and ask.