Matthew 7:7-11 Devotional
The next day, delivered to Palmer's hotel, was the title to a golf club. Thousands of acres, trees, lakes, a clubhouse, etc.”
The preacher from whom I borrowed the story added a punch line, “In the presence of a king,” he commented, “don't ask for small gifts!”[i]
In a sermon on prayer, Phillips Brooks wrote, “You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering it, will not wish you had made it larger. Pray not for crutches but for wings!”[ii]
Matthew 7:7-11(CSB)
7 "Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Jesus' words, "Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you, " in Matthew 7:7, underscore the importance of perseverance in prayer. He assures us that God is not indifferent to our needs—He actively listens and responds out of His boundless love.
In verses 9-11, Jesus draws a powerful parallel between human parents and God. If flawed human beings instinctively provide good gifts to their children, how much more will our perfect Heavenly Father give generously to those who seek Him? This passage is not about demanding whatever we want but about trusting that God will provide what is truly beneficial. Our prayers should reflect a heart aligned with His will, seeking wisdom, grace, and spiritual strength.
Prayer is the messy, unpredictable, living laboratory of the Christian life. It is a give-and-take interaction with God whose character is sure but whose paths are rarely predictable. Prayer is not a lecture's abstraction but a laboratory's experimentation. Not safely watching others dance, but the awkwardness of learning yourself. Prayer is involvement with God and original research in the dynamics of the kingdom of God. Over the entrance to The Jesus School of Prayer, a warning is posted, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone....” Prayer is an ongoing conversation with the interpersonal mystery of the Triune God, and the deeper we move into prayer the more challenging it becomes.
Practical Personal Application:
Align Your Requests with God's Will – Reflect on whether what you're asking aligns with God's purposes for your life. Seek wisdom and discernment in prayer.
Be Persistent – Like a child who confidently seeks their parent’s help, continue to bring your desires, burdens, and hopes to God without growing weary.
Align Your Requests with God's Will – Reflect on whether what you're asking aligns with God's purposes for your life. Seek wisdom and discernment in prayer.
Trust in His Provision – When an answer seems delayed or different from what you expected, remember that God gives what is ultimately best for you, even if it doesn’t always match your initial request.
Closing Prayer:
Loving Father, thank You for inviting us to come to You confidently, knowing that You hear and answer according to Your perfect wisdom. Teach us to pray with persistence, not in entitlement but in trust. Help us to seek You first, knowing that Your plans are greater than our desires. Grant us patience when answers seem slow, and open our hearts to receive the good gifts You have in store for us.
Amen