A situation in my family, has forced me to postpone the blogs I had planned to write until a later date – I will return to them God willing!
Instead there will be other blogs. In this one, I revisit the theme of prayer (see my blogs on prayer in Archives, October 2019).
JESUS TEACHES ABOUT THE FATHER AND PRAYER
““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Mt. 7,7-8
I have earlier pointed out that the verbs “ask”, “seek” and “knock” are present imperatives in Greek, emphasising PERSISTENT PRAYER! We are to pray; to ask and keep on asking, to seek and to keep on seeking and to knock and keep on knocking – AND NOT TO GIVE UP! 👍
WHO IS GOD?
Jesus continues by addressing the important question of who we think God is – or rather what kind of God we think he is: For some believers, when bad things happen to them, or to a family member, this question takes centre stage. They (or we) may ask, “Why has God let this happen, if he loves me?” Now, I have to quickly say that I cannot answer that! I advise against simplistic answers like “the devil sent this!” The Bible teaches that the universe God created to be good, now is as a train gone off its tracks. We are part of a fallen world, and “shit happens” to use that phrase. Yes, in an indirect way the devil will be involved where bad things happen. A more sinister way in which the devil is involved, however, is when he persuades believers that it was God himself who sent the evil upon us; he is the accuser (Rev. 12,10) and the father of lies (Jn. 8,44); he will speak falsehood of both God and man. Jesus obliterates the belief that somehow God who is good could give a stone, if a loaf of bread were asked for:
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 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!”
Mt. 7:9-11
LET’S HAVE FAITH!
So this is an a fortiori argument: If you being evil know how to give good gifts – HOW MUCH MORE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER KNOWS!
No, we don’t always understand why things happen! But Jesus clearly teaches us here and elsewhere that we are to trust our loving heavenly Father. We are to be confident, even bold in our prayers; the bolder the better! And we are to be specific. WE CAN NEVER PLACE TOO MUCH TRUST IN THE FATHER – THIS IS WHAT JESUS TEACHES! And if we somehow pray amiss (see James 4,3), he will put us right – no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8,1)
When bad things happen to us, we need to know that WE HAVE AN ALLY, A HELPER, A SAVIOUR AND A DELIVERER; A FRIEND, IN GOD THE FATHER – AND NOT AN ENEMY! HE IS ON OUR SIDE! HE WILL SURELY MAKE GREAT THINGS HAPPEN FOR US, WHEN WE PRAY!!! Read Ps. 91,14-16. The Resurrection Power of the Holy Spirit is at work in and through us to do far more abundantly than we can ask or think (Eph. 3,20 – see also 1,19-20); to heal and to deliver and to make whole!😀
LET’S NOT BE EASILY SHAKEN – LET’S TRUST GOD! JESUS SAID WE COULD!😀
LET´S PRAY FOR GREAT THINGS – BOLDLY AND WITHOUT FEAR – BECAUSE THAT PLEASES THE FATHER! 😀