"Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. ⁸ "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. ⁹ "Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ "Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? ¹¹ "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! ¹² "Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. ¹³ "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. 14 "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. Matthew 7:7-14 (NAS)

Good Gifts

Our heavenly Father does not promise to give us any gift that we ask for.  He does not promise to give us things exactly when we feel that we need them.  But, God does know how to give good gifts to His children...and at just the right time they are needed.

To illustrate:  Let's say that you have a five year old son that wants a car to drive.  If you bought the child a brand new car and let him drive it at the age of five, most people would agree that it would be a terrible thing to do.  In the child's eyes, this may be the most important gift to receive...but in the father's eyes, the best gift would be the answer of "no" or maybe to "wait for 15 or 20 years."

Paul's Request For A Gift

Paul the apostle had a physical ailment that he referred to as a "thorn in the flesh."  Some speculate that Paul's eyes were very poor due to his reference to writing in "large letters" in Galatians 6:11.  Nevertheless, Paul describes how he asks God in prayer to be relieved of this physical problem:

And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me-- to keep me from exalting myself! ⁸ Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NAS)

In Paul's situation, the answer from God was not "Yes."  The answer was not "Wait."  The answer was "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."  This ailment was given by a messenger of Satan to keep Paul from exalting himself (see vs. 7 above).  But through this trouble and through the many other troubles that he faced, Paul learned to be content...and to draw his strength from Christ:

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9b-10 (NAS)

Your Requests

Are you willing...in your prayers...to accept the answer that He gives; to put your heavenly Father's will above your own will?

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