The Blank Checkness of Prayer
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matt. 7:7, 8.
Is that really true? Is prayer a blank check upon which we merely inscribe our requests? Does God always give believers everything they ask for?
Be careful here. We get into a great deal of trouble by proof-texting, by taking statements out of context and then generalizing them in irresponsible ways to fit our personal desires.
Let's also be honest here. Has God given you everything you have asked for? Why not? How has it affected your faith?
To be sure, Jesus' statement on prayer is in itself an absolute promise of what God will do for us, but it has a very definite context of judgment--a theme that runs throughout Matthew 7. The first six verses of the chapter have dealt with the problem of judging other people and thinking of them more harshly than we do ourselves. In the process, Jesus tells us that we will get unjust judgment back in full measure. Realizing our weakness, we cry out, "Who is sufficient for these things" How can I live up to God's standard?" Christ's answer is that He will give us what we need if we ask, seek, and knock.
What is true of Matthew 7:1-6 is also true of the entire Sermon on the Mount. We feel hopeless when we see the demands of true righteousness. It is in the context of those requirements that Jesus offers us His grace to forgive and overcome so that we can live the Christian life.
We need to see our earthly life as a school in which we build a character like Christ's for the life beyond. God is preparing us for eternal life. Thus He is willing to give us everything we need for well-rounded Christian development. In that context the message of our Lord is "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you."
We do indeed have a blank check in Matthew 7:7, 8--for God's grace. A reading of the Sermon on the Mount in the light of our fractured lives helps us see how impossibly mixed up we are. Those who take seriously the terrifying demands of the Sermon must always take seriously God's willingness to assist them. God always answers our prayers for forgiveness, grace, love for others, and strength to make it through the day.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matt. 7:7, 8.
Is that really true? Is prayer a blank check upon which we merely inscribe our requests? Does God always give believers everything they ask for?
Be careful here. We get into a great deal of trouble by proof-texting, by taking statements out of context and then generalizing them in irresponsible ways to fit our personal desires.
Let's also be honest here. Has God given you everything you have asked for? Why not? How has it affected your faith?
To be sure, Jesus' statement on prayer is in itself an absolute promise of what God will do for us, but it has a very definite context of judgment--a theme that runs throughout Matthew 7. The first six verses of the chapter have dealt with the problem of judging other people and thinking of them more harshly than we do ourselves. In the process, Jesus tells us that we will get unjust judgment back in full measure. Realizing our weakness, we cry out, "Who is sufficient for these things" How can I live up to God's standard?" Christ's answer is that He will give us what we need if we ask, seek, and knock.
What is true of Matthew 7:1-6 is also true of the entire Sermon on the Mount. We feel hopeless when we see the demands of true righteousness. It is in the context of those requirements that Jesus offers us His grace to forgive and overcome so that we can live the Christian life.
We need to see our earthly life as a school in which we build a character like Christ's for the life beyond. God is preparing us for eternal life. Thus He is willing to give us everything we need for well-rounded Christian development. In that context the message of our Lord is "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you."
We do indeed have a blank check in Matthew 7:7, 8--for God's grace. A reading of the Sermon on the Mount in the light of our fractured lives helps us see how impossibly mixed up we are. Those who take seriously the terrifying demands of the Sermon must always take seriously God's willingness to assist them. God always answers our prayers for forgiveness, grace, love for others, and strength to make it through the day.
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