{"id":832,"date":"2026-05-08T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=832&2026"},"modified":"2026-05-05T18:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T00:00:31","slug":"answering-our-prayers-matthew-7-7-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/answering-our-prayers-matthew-7-7-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Answering Our Prayers: Matthew 7:7-20"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 7:7-20 (CEV)<\/div>
\r\n

7\u00a0<\/sup>Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8\u00a0<\/sup>Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. 9\u00a0<\/sup>Would any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? 10\u00a0<\/sup>Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish? 11\u00a0<\/sup>As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.<\/p>

12\u00a0<\/sup>Treat others as you want them to treat you. This is what the Law and the Prophets are all about.<\/p>

13\u00a0<\/sup>Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate. 14\u00a0<\/sup>But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it.<\/p>

15\u00a0<\/sup>Watch out for false prophets! They dress up like sheep, but inside they are wolves who have come to attack you. 16\u00a0<\/sup>You can tell what they are by what they do. No one picks grapes or figs from thornbushes. 17\u00a0<\/sup>A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18\u00a0<\/sup>A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. 19\u00a0<\/sup>Every tree that produces bad fruit will be chopped down and burned. 20\u00a0<\/sup>You can tell who the false prophets are by their deeds.<\/p>\r\n

Read Matthew 7:7-20<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

In one of the most famous parts of Jesus\u2019 Sermon on the Mount, we find one of the most amazing promises that Jesus shared during His earthly ministry. Within this section of the message, many people have found both encouragement as well as reason for doubt.<\/p>\r\n

This section begins with Jesus saying, \u201cAsk, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 7-8)<\/p>\r\n

The self-help movement within Christianity sprang up around these two verses because in them, Jesus shares a repeatable process and principle. I think these two verses are also incredibly popular because they work without Jesus as well. When looking at these two verses, there is very little here that points to Jesus.<\/p>\r\n

But Jesus hasn\u2019t finished sharing on this topic. He continues by saying, \u201cWould any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish? As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 9-11)<\/p>\r\n

With this explanation, Jesus brings faith into the discussion, while He also brings in a framework for understanding how God answers prayer. In these three verses explaining this concept, Jesus helps us understand the answers we may receive that are not what we would have wanted. All the \u201cNo\u2019s\u201d, \u201cWait\u2019s\u201d, and substitution answers may feel like God is ignoring our requests, but this famous set of five verses holds the key to how God answers prayer.<\/p>\r\n

The key to understanding how God answers our asking, seeking, and knocking has to do with what our request is, and the best possible response. While Jesus rhetorically asks whether a parent would give a bad gift to a child when he\/she asks for something they need, the same could be said in reverse. What parent would give their child something that will harm them if the child asked for it? If you knew a gift would injure your child, would you still give them the gift?<\/em><\/p>\r\n

God, being the perfect parent, knows what the best response to every request we ask, every goal we seek, and every door we knock on. While it might feel like He is rejecting or ignoring our requests, these responses may be Him telling us that the timing isn\u2019t right, that we need to grow more, or that what we are asking for will ultimately harm us in the long run. Faith comes into play regarding whether we are willing to accept His answer to our request.<\/p>\r\n

And this promise isn\u2019t reserved for just Christians. God loves everyone He created, and He \u201cis even more ready to give good things to people who ask.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 11b)<\/p>\r\n

So while we are called to ask, to seek, and to knock, we are also called to trust God the Father\u2019s guidance and His direction. He will open doors that will help us; He will help us find the best things for our situation, and He is happy to give us things that truly will bless us. He loves us, and He cares for our eternal future above all else.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In one of the most famous parts of Jesus\u2019 Sermon on the Mount, we find one of the most amazing promises that Jesus shared during His earthly ministry. Within this section of the message, many people have found both encouragement as well as reason for doubt. 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