The Best

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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! (Matthew 7:7-11)

As with so many of the promises about God’s provision, there’s a part of my mind that says, “Yeah, right. Maybe it works for other people, but it doesn’t work for me.” There are times when it seems to work for everyone but me, and other times when it seems to work for no one, including me. But I’ve been through this a thousand times at least. I am not God. I do not have His wisdom. So often, I think I’m asking for bread, but the reality is that I’m asking for a stone. I ask for a fish, but the thing I think is a fish is a snake.

Or, I ask for wealth. It’s usually wealth, not power (sometimes influence), and not fame. I’d like to be an invisible super-hero, doing all kinds of good things for people without anyone noticing, but that takes having money. But all of those separate me from God. If I can buy it myself, I don’t have to ask for it. If I can make it happen, I don’t need God to do it for me. 

So, what can we ask for  - what good gift – that draws us to God instead of separating us from Him? The first good gift is God, himself. We’ve been over that before. Another repeat: wisdom, direction, and… attitude! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control! Salvation. Sanctification. Truth. Hope. Justice. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done…” The Holy Spirit. The Word of God. Heaven.

Ugh. How boring. How difficult. Those aren’t good gifts. Until you start really thinking about them. Then you’re likely to find that they are the best.