Good Morning Friends,
"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:9-13)
Jesus promises that God will not give His children something worthless or harmful when they ask for something good. God is like a good parent in that way. No parent, at least no loving parent, will deliberately disappoint or hurt his child.
But, what if a child asks for something worthless (a stone) or something harmful (a snake)? It's not beyond children to do that. Many a young boy has asked for a gun before he was ready to handle it. Many a child has asked for a car before they were mature enough to use it wisely. And the worthless gifts that children ask for are very common. So, how does a loving parent respond when a child asks for something harmful? He refuses to give it! And if it is something worthless, he'll often say "no" to that, too.
I think those principles give us great insight into why God says "no" to so many of our prayers. Like a small child, I often don't know that I'm asking for something harmful. But as a wise parent, God knows and refuses to give me what will hurt me. Like an unknowing child, I ask for many things that are worthless, and God often says "no" to those trinkets.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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