1ST WEEK OF LENT

Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Picture a parent teaching their young son how to ride a bike. As the boy teeters off, the parent runs behind, holding the bike steady when it wobbles, encouraging him to keep going when he feels nervous. Eventually, the child is able to ride by himself, and his beaming smile shows it: he trusts that his mom or dad will be there to help him, and that trust has given him the confidence he needs.

Just as every parent wants to instill confidence in their child, God wants to instill confidence in us as we pray. Not just self-confidence, of course, but “God-confidence” as well—the confidence that comes from faith in our heavenly Father. As we pray, we see that the One we’re asking is good. We see that he is trustworthy. We see that we can rely on him.

Jesus tells us that to develop this faith, we need to “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” in prayer (Matthew 7:7). The original language implies a continual asking, seeking, knocking. In other words, we’re to be persistent. Whatever happens, don’t give up.

As we ask and keep asking, we open our hearts to a deeper experience of God’s goodness because we begin to see how much he cares for our every need. As we seek and keep seeking, we learn that he is trustworthy because we discover that he won’t abandon us. As we knock and keep knocking, we begin to understand his justice and generosity because we find him giving us not necessarily what we want but exactly what we need. In all of this, our relationship with our heavenly Father grows deeper and deeper.

So persist in bringing your needs to God in prayer. Trust that he wants to give you good things. Believe that he will bring good even out of difficulty or suffering. He wants you to be confident in him. Because with every prayer, you are getting closer to your heavenly Father and learning to rely on him more. And that is the most valuable result of any prayer you could pray!

“Father, I come to you with all my needs and anxieties. Help me grow in trust in your goodness and love.”

Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8
Matthew 7:7-12

WORD AMONG US