Interim Thoughts
Always bread and Fish
Our first reading for the 10:00 service this Sunday is Matthew 7:7-11. It is the ask-seek-knock set of verses. In these verses, Jesus is encouraging his followers to persevere in prayer.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Jesus then followed up that encouragement with a down-to-earth set of questions. “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 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!” Even imperfect and fallen parents seek to give good things to their children. How much more does God?
Sometimes we may wonder if we are praying for the right and best thing. If I may be so bold as to build on Jesus’ metaphor, we may actually be praying for a stone when we think we are praying for bread. We might ask, “what if I’m praying for the wrong thing?”
The focus in Jesus’ words is not about praying for the right thing. The focus is that God, as our loving Heavenly Father will always give us the right and best answer to our prayer. The point is to pray and to persevere in prayer because God will always answer with “bread” even if we are praying for the wrong thing. For that reason, then; Ask! Seek! Knock! Keep praying. God is good!
Peace,
Pastor Tim
Interim Senior Pastor
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Jesus then followed up that encouragement with a down-to-earth set of questions. “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 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!” Even imperfect and fallen parents seek to give good things to their children. How much more does God?
Sometimes we may wonder if we are praying for the right and best thing. If I may be so bold as to build on Jesus’ metaphor, we may actually be praying for a stone when we think we are praying for bread. We might ask, “what if I’m praying for the wrong thing?”
The focus in Jesus’ words is not about praying for the right thing. The focus is that God, as our loving Heavenly Father will always give us the right and best answer to our prayer. The point is to pray and to persevere in prayer because God will always answer with “bread” even if we are praying for the wrong thing. For that reason, then; Ask! Seek! Knock! Keep praying. God is good!
Peace,
Pastor Tim
Interim Senior Pastor
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