If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:11
Devotional Message
Jesus uses simple logic to reveal God’s generous nature: “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Even flawed human parents with mixed motives and limited resources know how to give good gifts to their children. You don’t give your kid a rock when they ask for bread or a snake when they want fish. Despite your imperfections, parental love naturally moves toward generous giving.
“How much more will your Father in heaven” introduces the comparison that should blow your mind. If imperfect humans give good gifts, how much more does perfect Father who loves perfectly and possesses unlimited resources? The gap between flawed human generosity and divine generosity is infinite. God’s desire to give good gifts to His children infinitely exceeds even the best human parent’s desire to bless their kids. And unlike human parents with limited budgets and imperfect judgment, God has unlimited resources and perfect wisdom about what’s actually good.
“Give good gifts to those who ask him” adds one requirement: asking. God wants to give good gifts, but He waits for you to ask rather than forcing gifts on you uninvited. The contemplative invitation is to actually ask your heavenly Father for what you need and want, trusting that He’s more eager to give than you are to receive, more generous than the best human parent multiplied by infinity. Stop hesitating to ask because you think He’s stingy or reluctant. He knows how to give good gifts and He wants to give them. Ask.
Let’s Pray
Father, help me grasp that You’re more eager to give good gifts than I am to receive them. When I hesitate to ask because I doubt Your generosity, remind me that You’re infinitely more generous than even the best human parent. Teach me to bring my requests, trusting that You know how to give good gifts and want to give them to me. I ask today. Amen.
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