“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!” Matthew 7:9-11

The above verse is one of my favorites, not because of the promise of good things, but because whenever I feel discouraged, it reminds me that God is a good father who takes delight in providing for His children.

But in this chapter, Jesus highlights more than just the goodness of the Father; He reminds us of the importance of prayer.

Verse nine describes a child who is presumably hungry. How does this child solve that problem? By asking his father for food. And as we know, any good father would gladly provide it. But first he must be asked.

Talking to our earthly father who we can see is one thing, but praying to our heavenly Father can be harder. Yet, time and again, the Bible reiterates the importance of petitioning God with prayer.

“Why must we pray?” you may ask. “A good father should provide food for his child whether he asks or not.” While this may be true, it implies a relationship devoid of communication. The life of Jesus is proof that God desperately desires to have a relationship with us. We are His children, and He wants us to talk to Him when we need something.

So let us not just assume God knows what we need, but instead, let us bring our requests to Him with full assurance that He will hear us.

We have a good Father in heaven, and He will always hear our prayers.

Lord Jesus, thank You for hearing us when we pray. Remind us more and more what it means to truly seek You and to trust that You are good and will always provide for the needs of Your children. Amen.

Take Action

Set aside some time right now to pray for something you need. Trust that God will hear you and knows what is best for you in this moment. 



Tags: Prayer