When it comes to teaching on how to pray, I love the directness of Jesus. I love it, and Him, because He gives His elect people such clear, unmistakable instructions. In other words, you can’t miss it! Oh, but we do miss the point sometimes, don’t we? We miss it because we overcomplicate things. We try to give way too many reasons for why Jesus “didn’t really mean what He said.” But I say we take the King at His Word, and start benefitting from the beauty of His instructions.

Below we have a confidence-boosting passage that teaches us to approach God as our Father, pleading for His blessings, knowing that He always desires to give us good gifts. This is most encouraging and uplifting. Jesus exhorts all of God’s children to approach boldly to the throne in prayer, and to ask without reservation. He is the One who owns all things, and He commands us to come to Him, so that He can show just how amazing of a Provider He truly is. What a Savior we have!

When the Bible refers to God giving His children good gifts, it is talking about the best gifts possible. It is referring to the absolute, perfect good that only God can display. Our ‘good’ is always tainted, even in our best works. With us, something is always lacking in motivation, attitude, faith, and/or performance. God’s good is always perfect. Psalm 18:30 proclaims, “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” Since God is good, and all His ways are good, that means that anything He gives is also good.

And what is it about these gifts that are so good? Well, of course, there are too many reasons to possibly know, much less list, them all. But there are a few things we know. They are good gifts because they are given for the purpose of bringing glory and honor to the great and holy Name of Jesus Christ. They are gifts that will benefit our sanctification and perseverance in the faith. Gifts that will bless others, and contribute to the growth of God’s everlasting Kingdom through the spread of the gospel. And certainly, gifts that will strengthen and edify the local church. What a comfort it is to know that God never wastes a single gift!

God dispenses His answers to our prayers in perfect wisdom. He always gives us exactly what we need, and when we need it. He doesn’t give based on what we think we need in any given moment, but based on what we really need according to His perfect plan and purpose for our lives. That goes for us as individual Christians, and corporately as the church body. The verses below should motivate us to come together and pray fervently, and confidently, to our Father. He gives infinitely better than even the greatest parent on earth. And here’s another amazing thing about it……. it is His delight to do so! Why? Simply because we are His children, and He delights to do good to us.

Matthew 7:7-11

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ 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!
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