Jesus says to ask, seek, and knock. He says that whatever I ask in His Name, I will receive.
Awesome! All I have to do is tell Him what I want from Him, throw in the phrase “In Jesus’ Name” at the end of the prayer, and God will give me whatever I’m asking for… right? 
OK, maybe not. But then, what did Jesus mean? Does His statement have something to do with my motives? What if I am asking for the wrong things or with the wrong motives? What if my wishes are not His wishes?
According to Jesus, God is ready to give us even greater gifts than our earthly fathers. But the example Jesus gives is a son asking for a loaf of bread or a fish – for nourishing, healthy food. I don’t remember too many times when I asked for nourishing food. Instead, I was always asking for an extra serving of dessert!
When a child asks a parent for good, beneficial, healthy things, parents are quick to say “Yes.” On the other hand, when we continued to ask for the wrong things we’d get Dad’s furrowed brow, Mom’s long “sighs,” and a “No, I am not going to get that for you.” And while a temper tantrum on the floor of the grocery store might work on some parents, it certainly didn’t work on mine and it certainly won’t work on God.
So maybe the asking, seeking, and knocking in His Name is not a description of how to force Jesus to do our bidding like some genie in a bottle. Maybe it has to do with right motives. Maybe it has to do with our maturity and knowing what God wants, and therefore knowing what is good and healthy for us and for others.
As we grow in maturity in our relationship with God, He wants to have us talk to Him about mature things. Parents love to talk to their children, but they expect as they age to have more mature conversations. God wants us to talk to Him about all things, but it really pleases Him when we talk to Him about the things that are in His will – spiritually focused things. Praying for the things that break His heart.
What are some of the things that you think are most near & dear to His heart?
What are some of the spiritually-focused things that we ought to be praying to Him about?