Ask, and You Will Receive

  Today's Gospel starts with one of the disciples asking Jesus how to pray. Jesus then taught them "The Lord's Prayer." Jesus then followed up with a situation where one asks for three loaves of bread in the middle of the night from his friend, and the frienddoes not want to be disturbed and does not want to deal with him. Friendship might not want him to give his loaves of bread, but with persistence, he will get up to fulfill all of his needs. The Lord's prayer is more or less the same, as we ask God to fulfill our needs, forgive us for our sins, and ask for guidance.

  The key difference between God and the friend is that God will fulfill our needs, no matter the conditions. He will satisfy our needs once we ask Him, once we talk to Him. As it is said in verse 9, "Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." We should be humble enough to ask God for help and answers, and He will surely open His door to us. The Gospel teaches us to pray to God and believe He will supply all our needs.

  Yes, we are continually praying to Him. Maybe we cannot find the answers to our prayers, we do not receive what we have been praying for, or maybe doors and opportunities are closed. Do you think that your prayers are unheard of? Let me tell you that God works in very mysterious ways. Ways that we could never comprehend, and maybe what we are praying for is not what we truly need. Those closed doors or opportunities are probably not meant for us. Perhaps we are not searching hard enough for the answers that we seek. I'm not saying that we are not enough to get what we want, but I'm telling you now that God has a better plan for us.

  Let us have faith in God and all of His plans for us. We ask for material things, but He gives us people who love us for who we are and removes people because He has heard conversations we do not know of. We ask for acceptance in this university/company but get rejected and accepted in another. Maybe that school/job is not suitable for you. God redirects us to the right path. When we are lost, God will put us right back on track. The power of prayer allows us to bond with God and freely express our feelings, needs, and wants.

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