Luke 11:9-13
⁹I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, Did You Ask for the Spirit? it will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
¹¹Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? ¹²Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? ¹³If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
These verses are often used to say that the believer can ask ANYTHING he likes, and on his asking God is obliged to give what was asked for.
But is this really what these verses are saying?
Let us see:
● Ask, and it will be given to you (Vs. 9)
○ What will be given?
▪︎ The Holy Spirit, to those who ask Him (Vs. 13)
● Seek, and you will find (Vs. 9)
○ What will you find if you seek for it?
▪︎ A deep and pure relationship with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit.
● Knock, and it will be opened to you (Vs. 9)
○ Where will you be knocking?
▪︎ You will be knocking at the door. And Jesus said in John 10:9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Saying that it will be opened to you, tells you that no one will ever come to Jesus in vain, it tells you that Jesus welcomes all that come to Him.
● For everyone who asks, receives; (Vs. 10)
○ When you ask for the Holy Spirit, He WILL be given unto you.
● And he who seeks, finds; (Vs. 10)
○ When you seek for a relationship with the Father and the Son, you WILL find it.
● And to him who knocks, it will be opened. (Vs. 10)
○ When you come to Jesus, He WILL welcome you.
Often also Hebrews 11:1 is mentioned.
You want a new car? Believe that you have received it!
Name it and claim it..! For they tell you that this verse says that your prayer will substantiate whatever you long for.
But what does this verse really say?
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction (or evidence) of things not seen.”
It tells you that you may be a 100% sure to receive what you hope for. And what is your hope? Forgiveness of sin and an eternal life together with your Savior. Your faith gives you the evidence of that which we cannot see yet.
I know that John 14:12-14 tells us
¹²Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. ¹³Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
But this does not mean that we will receive what is not good for us.
Matthew 7:11
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give WHAT IS GOOD to those who ask Him!
And the whole idea behind these verses is not to ask (material) things for yourself, but but blessings for others, and then in such a way that it will not be to your glory, but to the glory of God. Then He will do it.
When the follower of Jesus asks anything according to the will of God, he will receive it. – And what is God’s will?
God’s will is to rescue us!
Galatians 1:3-4
³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father
God’s will is to adopt us as His children
Ephesians 1:5
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
God’s will is to give us eternal life
John 6:40
For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
So we should not complain if prayers are not answered.
There may be good reasons why God is not answering (yet).
Like we read in James 4:3
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your [own] pleasures.
Or like in James 1:5-7 when asking for wisdom:
⁵But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.
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