Devotion #3: The Love of the Father

God blessed me with a fantastic dad growing up. My dad’s name was Roy. Dad loved camping, hunting, fishing, and honestly, anything to do with being outdoors. He included his family in all of his outdoor adventures. I loved my dad, and I am very thankful for all the time I was able to spend with him, sharing the things that he loved.

In Matthew 7:9-11, Jesus is speaking about earthly fathers and asks a question, “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!” I would love to tell you that my dad was perfect, but just like all earthly parents, he made mistakes because he had a sinful nature. One thing is for sure though, my dad loved us, and if we asked for help, he did all he could to provide that help.

In the passage you just read, Jesus is asking if earthly fathers who have a sinful nature provide for their children, how much more is God, your heavenly Father, going to provide for those who pray and ask. My dad loved me, but that love does not compare to the love our heavenly Father has for us. God loves us so much that He gave His own Son, Jesus, to die for our sin.

In the previous verses of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has been teaching us how to live our lives as Christians. Living the Christian life cannot be done in our own strength. We need God’s help. We need a prayer life. In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus tells us to do three things when we need help: ask, seek, and knock. He says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” When we are in need, Jesus tells us to pray to the Father and ask, seek, and knock. Ask, seek, and knock are all in the present tense, which means we should be praying continuously for all our needs. God answers our prayers, not because we keep asking, but because He loves and cares for us. Our prayer should line up with God’s plan, just like when Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will, but Yours, be done.” We should be praying expectantly with faith. When we pray this way, Jesus says the Father will answer and provide for our needs.

There are a few things I would encourage you to think about today.

• How is my prayer life?
• Am I praying continuously?
• Am I praying and expecting God to answer my prayers with faith?
• Do I trust God’s plan and His will over my own?