Matthew 7: 7-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Asking is a Sign of Trust
Who am I to ask God for anything? Many of us hesitate to pray this way. We worry that asking is inappropriate or presumptuous, especially when we are aware of how much we have already received.
Yet Jesus tells us plainly to ask, to seek, to knock. God is not distant or annoyed by our needs. God desires to love, help, and accompany us. Just as we would ask a friend for help when moving or navigating a difficult circumstance, we are invited to ask God to enter the movements of our hearts and lives.
When we feel overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure how to proceed, prayer begins with honesty. Asking is not a sign of weakness, but of trust.
Today, what do you need to ask God for? Where might God be waiting for you to knock, so that the door can be opened?
—Br. Bobby Nichols, SJ, is a Jesuit of the Midwest Province serving as a Campus Minister at Loyola University Chicago.
Prayer
God of Love
You search me, and you know me.
You know the movements of my heart.
I ask for your help today,
To strengthen my resolve,
To comfort my pain,
To ease my mind.
I seek you today, oh God,
May I find you resting beside me.
Amen.
—Br. Bobby Nichols, SJ
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