May 21

Good Things from God

So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! — Matt 7:11 BSB

No loving father would respond to his hungry child’s plea for bread by giving them a stone, or offer a serpent instead of a fish. Even parents who are imperfect and sinful still have something of the image of God’s fatherly love in their hearts. Jesus’ teaching here moves from the lesser to the greater: if an earthly father, with all his flaws, won’t mock his child’s need, but instead lovingly provides for them, how much more will our heavenly Father do for us?

“How much more?”—that’s a question we can’t fully answer. All we can say is that God, being infinitely more loving, wise, and capable than any human father, will surely do even more for His children. But we must also understand this promise in light of other scriptures. The door to prayer is wide open, but those who enter must seek what is good.

No one who asks for bread will receive a stone, but neither will anyone who asks for a stone receive one, even if they think it’s bread. Sometimes, we plead with God for things that seem good to us—perhaps some worldly achievement, honor, or pleasure—but which God knows are like stones. They might look like bread to us, but God sees the truth and knows they will leave us starving spiritually. In His love, He won’t give us the stone we’re asking for, but instead will give us the bread we truly need. So, even when our requests for earthly things aren’t granted, our prayers aren’t unanswered. God often denies us the stone we mistakenly desire, and instead gives us the bread that nourishes us. We must trust Him to discern what is truly good for us.