Post by HOPE on May 24, 2005 7:09:10 GMT -5
MATTHEW 7:7-11
Yesterday we learned why prayer is an awesome privilege for believers. Today we will study the power we plug into when we pray. An omnipotent God, for whom nothing is impossible, hears our petitions. We access the greatest force in the universe when we enter the presence of the Father. It is within His power to give us anything we ask, although He does not always choose to do so. The Lord answers "no" to some of our prayers because He can see the negative consequences of our wrong desires. He will give us anything we ask if He recognizes—in His perfect wisdom and love—that it is good for us.
In today's passage, the Lord draws a comparison between earthly fathers and the heavenly Father. If a human father, who is flawed and limited, can offer good things to his children, then it stands to reason that the heavenly Father, who is all-powerful and all-knowing, will give awesome gifts to His children. It is an amazing experience to receive what we request—or something even better—from a holy, omnipotent, loving God.
What surprises many believers is that God's purpose for prayer is not to give extravagant gifts. The Father's goal is to build intimacy between Himself and His children in order to conform us to His likeness. When our attention is wrapped up in the Father and we are eager to be in His presence, He can move quietly to transform our hearts. The greater profit of prayer is not that we can gain something, but that we can relate to the One who supplies all our needs.