[Tuesday's Devotional] - How Much More!

2  How Much More! Jesus moves from our relationships with others to our relationship with our heavenly Father.  This next passage is all about prayer.   Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.   Matthew 7: 7 [NIV]   We know that the Lord knows our needs even before we pray, but Jesus encourages us to pray in order that our faith may be increased.   Notice the imperatives Jesus uses: ask, seek, knock.  Prayer – no matter how we pray – is an active thing.  Persistence is needed.  If prayer does not seem to be answered, we need to go on praying until it is.  And answered it will be, because Jesus promises it:   For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.   Matthew 7: 8 [NIV]   Jesus goes on to illustrate the reliability of God in answering prayer.  If our son asks for bread would we give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish would we give him a snake?  Of course not!  But if we, who are imperfect, answer requests well, how much more will our loving Father?   'Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of his highest willingness.'   [Richard Chenevix-Trench, 1807 - 86]   Lord, thank you for the immense privilege of prayer.  Help me to be persistent in seeking your perfect will.  Amen.   David Long   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!