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opulence.  If all God hears from you is Give me this money, Give me this home, Give me this job, power, social status, ect., then you have missed the point of prayer.

Matthew 7 makes a statement about which prayers the Father will and will not answer.  These are very, very powerful verses of Scripture because they simple say, “Ask.”  Asking is not a difficult thing to do.  In fact, if you have children, you know that they are almost constantly "asking".  When was the last time your child came to you and said, "Dad, Mom, what can I do for you today?"

God invites His children to be children.  Ask, Seek, Knock.  And if those statements are not staggering enough, notice to whom He delivers that invitation: everyone!

The natural reaction at this point is, “Wait a minute!  I’ve been asking for years.  I’ve been knocking longer than that.  And I’ve been seeking, and I haven’t found anything.  You just said that Jesus was teaching us to pray about sustenance, not opulence.”  Isn’t this a contradiction?  Doesn’t this passage offer an open-ended promise of provision? 

Not quite.  That’s why reading the Bible in context is so important.  Pay special attention to the two comparisons: bread and fish to stone and snake.  What is the point?  Very simply, bread and fish are good for you; stones and snakes are not.  The earthly son has requested two good items, the earthly father responds accordingly.  The reverse is also true.  If an earthly son asked for a stone to eat, any loving father would refuse.

To follow through with our analogy, God is not saying, “Ask for whatever you want.”  Instead, He is saying, “Ask for what is good.”  When you ask for good things, our heavenly Father will surely approve, and He will never substitute something harmful.  If you have prayed for something you desire with all your heart and have not received it, it is because this desire is either not good or not good for now.  God is either saying “No” or “Wait”.

Ask, and it shall be given you;

seek, and ye shall find;

knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth;

and he that seeketh findeth;

and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

—Matthew 7:7-9