Jesus said to his disciples: “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; and the ones who seek, find; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Mt 7:7-8
Have you ever tried to fool God or impress God with your prayer? I know I certainly have. I can easily fall into prayers that sound good but don’t really reflect what’s actually going on in my heart.
Recently, I’ve been trying something new. I’ve been talking with God about what I want.
I’ve been taking time in my morning prayer to speak honestly and openly with God about the things that I want – without filtering the conversation. It’s been remarkably eye-opening. Some of the things I talked to God about were desires for my life, my family, and my future and I wasn’t even aware of myself until I started praying for them.
The amazing thing is, as I’ve spoken to God more honestly I’ve experienced A greater understanding of how God could use the desires of my heart to work his love more fully in the world.
Perhaps this is what Jesus is getting at in our passage today. Jesus tells us to ask knock and seek. Too often I short-change the creativity, generosity and inventiveness of God. I assume God will say “no” before I even venture to ask for a “yes.”
It’s not like we’re fooling God. God knows what we want already. Opening the space to talk to God about it can be a powerful step in partnering with God to work for the good things God intends for us and for the world.
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