"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

God has great gifts for us. The best gift He has already given: His Son, who by His sacrifice on the cross earned our forgiveness and opened heaven for us. Then there are the gifts of food, clothing, and all that goes with living.

However, we may lack some of the things we need and would like to have. Why is that? Could it be that we don't have some good things simply because we don't ask for them? Saint James tells us: "You do not have, because you do not ask God" (James 4:2).

God has promised to hear our earnest prayers. The Bible makes this plain. The woman of Canaan asked the Lord to heal her daughter, and she was healed. Lepers who sought the Lord's help were cleansed. The disciples called on Jesus in the storm, and "He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm" (Matthew 8:26). The thief on the cross asked Christ to remember him when He came into His kingdom. His prayer was heard. Jesus took him into paradise that very day.

These and many more examples from the Bible are in accord with Jesus' promise: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7).

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we know You hear all our prayers. Teach us to seek from You the good things You want us to have. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

(Taken from "Words of Promise," copyright 1996 (out of print), Concordia Publishing House. For information on other devotional materials, call 1-800-325-3040.)

Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 11-13    1 Timothy 6

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