You’re Asking for the Stone
“Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 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 7:9-11
What Jesus is saying, is absolutely true. Our God is able to give gifts like no one else can. But Jesus is saying “if your child asks for something good, would you give them something bad as a response? Of course not!”. But you need to ask yourself, what if God in His infinite wisdom knows you’re actually asking for the stone?
“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
James 4:3
This is such an important verse from James, and the inspiration for all of these writings. James tends to call out our natural ways to misconstrue Jesus’ words for our own good. Jesus was surely not saying “Ask God for success, money, and other gifts and he will do it no matter what”. If God made every Christian a millionaire today how many would turn away from the faith immediately?
Let’s go back to the comparison of parents here on Earth. Sometimes kids will ask for snacks before dinner, sugar before bed, or spicy food without knowing how hot it is. As the parent, you will probably say no because it is not in the child’s best interest, you’re looking out for them. That is exactly what God is doing for us.
You can get better insight into this when you look into the Lord’s prayer. One of the first things that Jesus tells us to ask for is for God’s will to be done. I think that is one of the most important lessons to learn as a young Christian. When you focus on God’s will being done, you can see why you didn’t get some of the things you prayed for. There have been times where I am upset that I didn’t receive something I prayed for, but as time goes on, I realize how bad that would have been in hindsight. Do not overlook this, you are speaking to the God who knows all things.
Later you may even thank God for saying no to your request because you realize how that could’ve went wrong. He knows all this. A good parent will either not give you the harmful thing, or may even grant your wish so that you learn a valuable lesson for next time. So remain humble, and remember there is a great plan for each one of us (Jeremiah 29:11). Even the nos are blessings.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
