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The Foundation of a Relationship with God | Matthew 7:7-11

What prayer should be

Author

Caleb Lee
January 26, 2024

How do you approach prayer?

Is it just something you do before eating? Or perhaps a wish list presented to a genie in the sky for all the things you want? Or maybe even something unnecessary?

I’ve had all 3 approaches at different times in my life.

But I’m learning that prayer is truly access to God. And that isn’t something to be taken advantage of, but it’s also not something to be ignored.

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of 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 serpent? 11 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!

Matthew 7:7-11

This passage frames prayer as asking God for things. But there’s something special about the imagery Jesus uses when he describes the relationship between human fathers and their children.

Besides Santa Claus, kids typically don’t ask for gifts from random strangers. But they ask for gifts from their parents because they know that there’s a foundation of love upon which they can make their ask.

And so it should be with God.

We ought to ask for things because we’re in love with God. And we should have a profound understanding of His love for us.

And the funny thing is, when that understanding is there, we won’t treat prayer as a wish list of things that we selfishly want.

Prayer becomes things that are aligned to what God also wants. Redemption, reconciliation, salvation, healing, etc.

And prayer also serves to build the foundation of a relationship with God.

How lucky are we, that the God of the Universe gave us access to Him? That when we pray, He hears us?

What a crazy thought.

Have a blessed Friday, my friends.