Prayer:
O Jesus, teach me to ask and to seek and to knock.
Imagination:
Picture Jesus teaching His disciples to have confidence in prayer.
Context:
God wants to bless you. First, he wants you to seek his blessings (so when you receive them you will thank God and grow in faith). Jesus uses three images (ask-receive; seek-find; knock-be opened) to assure you that God wants you to ask.
Gospel Text: (Read slowly, possibly aloud.)
“Ask and it will be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. Whoever asks, will receive. Whoever seeks, will find. To whomever knocks, it shall be opened.
What man among you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or, if he seeks fish, will give him a serpent? If you who are evil, give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give good things to those who ask?”
Thoughts: (Read all. Ponder the ones that attract you.)
- To encourage you to ask, Jesus teaches that the Father always hears you.
- You need not compete for God’s prizes. He provides gifts for all his children.
- Everyone who seeks, will find something.
- This teaching seems too good to be true. So Jesus uses human examples.
- What earthly father would hand his child a stone or a serpent?
- Certainly, the heavenly Father will never withhold good things from you.
Affections: (When one touches your heart, use your own words.)
- You encourage me, Jesus. You urge me to ask.
- O God, all your gifts are mine. I just need to ask and seek.
- O heavenly Father, would you give me useless things, like a stone or a serpent?
- Father, you hear me as if I were your only child.
- O Father, You gave me Jesus. Will you withhold other blessings?
- O Father, lavish your good things upon me.
Resolutions: (Possibly you might want to make your own.)
+ I will fill this day with requests to my heavenly Father.
+ I will think about the Father’s love for me.