Trust the Father’s Good Gifts

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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 good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

What a picture. The most human parent, filled with their own issues, dealing with the complexities of life – earning money to pay bills for at least the essentials of life, caring for children, dealing with sickness, calamity, loss, failure, heartbreak, joy, relationships, victories. The most human parent has a sense of the universe at times that begins with them at the center. They are responsible for all and if they don’t do it then it won’t happen. Even the strongest people sometimes buckle under the strain of being the most human parent. And yet, even the most human parent will try to give their child what they ask, if it is within their means. It is the desire of every human parent to provide for their children.

As Jesus describes this, every parent can feel their own instincts when a son is asking for things. What would I try to give? If he asks for something that is truly needed, wouldn’t I try to give this? And the answer is, of course I would.

Yet human parents suffer from the affliction of all people – a sin nature that has separated them from God. Even with this affliction, the desire and willingness to respond to a child’s request wins out over the complexities of life.

And now for the great contrast that Jesus wants us to get. What about a perfect, sinless, loving Father who is the creator of all things, able to do and deliver all things? How would he respond to a request? Certainly far better than even the most saintly of human parents, because he is inherently perfect. And his point is, ask your Father in heaven for what you need, because he will not deny you and his gifts are perfect.

Embedded in this contrast is the Lords Prayer which invites the prayer to align their heart to the Father. If, when you pray, you ask for the Father’s will to be done, then you are trusting that his will is perfect. So, when you ask for what you need, you must trust that what the Father gives you in return is also perfect.

Many of us have seen our Father in heaven as a genie. We engage in “name it and claim it” prayer, expecting that God will give us exactly what we described that we need. But, no human parent gives a child everything they request because much of what a child requests is not good for them. However, the parent tries to always give the child what they need, even if they do not respond with what they want. Our heavenly Father is much more caring, loving, perfect in being a parent than any human. What he gives is what the world cannot give. What he provides is exactly what we need. When we pray, we know that his response to our prayer will be with exactly what we need.