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Ask, Seek, Knock...

           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)

We all tend to like to pull the first and second verses in this passage out of context. Everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds. To everyone who knocks the door is opened. So, here’s my prayer… “Father, will you please give me a Tardis with a replicator[1], so that I can fit a gourmet kitchen with a walk in pantry and freezer, a master bedroom with a sitting area and fire place, a full-sized bathroom with a sunken tub and separate shower, a nice cozy parlor and an office fit for a best-selling author and world-conquering master-criminal, a root cellar, exercise room, computerized observatory, butterfly habitat, community feeding garden, laundry room, craft room, and library (and whatever else I think of) in it, and be able to replicate for myself any piece of furniture, art, or whatever I might want?” It sounds like my version of “Santa Baby.” Don’t the first couple verses guarantee that I’ll get my wish list?

But Jesus doesn’t leave it at “Ask…seek…knock.” He goes on to point out that good parents don’t give their kids bad gifts when they ask for good. It seems to follow logically that if good parents won’t give the kids bad gifts then they ask for good, they also won’t give bad gifts when the kids ask for bad. Instead, they’ll give good gifts, or wait until the kids change their minds.

We tell ourselves we aren’t kids. We are adults. We have the right and maturity to make up our own minds and should be allowed to make our own mistakes. But those who have been parents know that you never stop being parents, and they’ve been through the stage that their kids are going through. The real; question is “Do we trust our heavenly Father enough to believe that this thing He’s given us is a good thing?”


[1] Can someone explain to me why we can’t have ten Mr. Spocks, or beam up a dead body and have it be alive? Sorry. I do like Star Trek, but…

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