MATTHEW 7:7-11
THE ANSWER TO PRAYERS
INTRODUCTION
Matthew 7:7-11 is a passage where Jesus teaches about the power and promise of prayer. In this segment of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages His followers to approach God with confidence and persistence, assuring them that their prayers will be heard and answered. The passage begins with a simple yet profound instruction: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” This triad of actions – asking, seeking, and knocking – illustrates the different dimensions of prayer, emphasizing an active, persistent, and trusting relationship with God.
The verses continue by comparing God’s responsiveness to that of a loving parent who desires to give good gifts to their children. Jesus underscores that if flawed human beings know how to give good things to their children, how much more will the heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him. This passage not only reassures believers of God’s willingness to provide but also invites them to trust in God’s wisdom and timing, knowing that the answers to their prayers will be rooted in His perfect love and goodness.
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
This verse is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where He encourages His followers to trust in God’s providence and to actively pursue a relationship with Him through prayer.
In the Catholic tradition, this passage emphasizes the importance of persistent prayer and trust in God’s goodness. The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking symbolize different levels of engagement with God. “Ask” represents verbal prayer, bringing our petitions before God. “Seek” implies a deeper quest for understanding and wisdom, actively pursuing God’s will in our lives. “Knock” suggests perseverance, the need for persistent faith and action in our spiritual journey.
The Church teaches that prayer should be made with perseverance and fervor, aligning with God’s will. St. John Chrysostom and other Church Fathers highlight that our prayers should not be selfish or evil but should seek the greater good that God desires for us. This aligns with the Catholic understanding that God, in His wisdom, may not always grant our specific requests but will provide what is ultimately beneficial for our spiritual growth. This is echoed in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:13).
The Power of Prayer and God’s Generosity
Matthew 7:7 emphasizes the power of prayer and God’s generous nature in responding to the needs of His people. Jesus encourages His disciples to engage in prayer with faith and perseverance. The three actions – asking, seeking, and knocking – symbolize different levels of prayer, reflecting the teaching in James 4:2-3, where we are reminded that we often do not receive because we do not ask or because we ask with wrong motives.
God’s response to our prayers is always aligned with our ultimate good, even if it is not immediately evident to us. This idea is further supported by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which teaches that prayer is a vital necessity and a response to God’s love (CCC 2744). Matthew 7:7 encourages us to trust that God is always listening and that He desires to give us what is good for our salvation. This passage also reminds us of the importance of aligning our desires with God’s will, as Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10).
Reflection
Matthew 7:7 is a powerful reminder that our relationship with God is dynamic and interactive. It invites us to actively engage with God through persistent prayer, confident in His willingness to provide for our needs. However, this passage also calls us to deeper trust, accepting that God’s answers may not always align with our immediate desires but are always for our ultimate good.
As Christians, we are encouraged to cultivate a prayer life that is not only about asking for our needs but also about seeking God’s presence and knocking on the door of His wisdom. In doing so, we grow in our spiritual journey, becoming more attuned to God’s will and more open to the ways He answers our prayers.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, We thank You for Your infinite love and generosity. Help us to grow in faith, trusting that You hear our prayers and respond in ways that are best for our souls. Teach us to ask with humility, to seek with diligence, and to knock with persistence. May we always align our will with Yours and find peace in knowing that You guide us with love and wisdom. Through Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Matthew 7:8 “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
This verse is part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches about the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven and the attitudes and behaviors expected of its members. In this passage, Jesus emphasizes the boundless generosity and faithfulness of God in responding to our prayers.
In Catholic interpretation, this passage underscores the importance of persistent prayer and trust in God’s providence. The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking symbolize a progressive intensity in prayer: asking represents a simple petition, seeking involves a deeper pursuit of God’s will, and knocking implies perseverance, even when the answer is delayed. This continuous and active engagement with God reflects a relationship built on faith and trust.
1. The Call to Persistent Prayer:
– The three actions – asking, seeking, and knocking – indicate different stages of prayer, from a simple request to an earnest search for God’s will, to persistent effort, even when answers are not immediate. This idea is further emphasized in Luke 11:9-10, where Jesus repeats the promise that those who ask, seek, and knock will indeed receive, find, and have the door opened to them. The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Lk 18:1-8) also highlights the importance of perseverance in prayer.
2. Trust in God’s Goodness:
– Jesus assures us of God’s fatherly care and willingness to give good things to His children. In Matthew 7:9-11, He compares God’s generosity to a human father’s natural inclination to provide for his own children. Just as a father would not give his child a stone instead of bread, God will not deny us what is good. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 2610 emphasizes that Jesus is our model of prayer. He not only teaches us to pray but also assures us that prayer is effective because God knows our needs better than we do.
3. The Universal Promise:
– The verse begins with “For everyone,” indicating that God’s grace and responsiveness are available to all who approach Him with faith. This inclusivity reflects God’s universal salvific will, as mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:4, where God desires “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The Catholic Church teaches that God, as a loving Father, desires to give good gifts to His children, and this is rooted in the belief that God knows what is best for us and will provide according to His divine wisdom and timing.
Reflection:
Matthew 7:8 invites us to deepen our prayer life, trusting that God hears and responds to our prayers. It encourages us to seek God’s presence in our lives actively and to remain open to His will. Prayer is not just about asking for our needs but about seeking a deeper relationship with God and understanding His plans for us. This passage challenges us to be persistent in our requests, confident in the goodness of the Father, and open to receiving His grace in our lives.
Faith plays a crucial role in our prayer life. It assures us that God hears our prayers and will respond in His perfect time and manner. While the answers to our prayers may not always align with our expectations, we trust that God’s response is always what is best for us. This deeper relationship with God through prayer allows us to align our will with His, recognizing that sometimes, His plans for us are beyond our understanding but always for our good.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of prayer and the assurance that You hear us when we call upon You. Help us to approach You with faith and persistence, trusting in Your divine wisdom and love. Teach us to seek Your will in all things and to remain open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. May our lives reflect Your love and grace, and may we always find comfort in Your presence. Strengthen our faith so that we may always approach You with confidence, knowing that Your plans for us are for our good, even when we cannot see it. Guide our hearts to align with Your will, and open the doors of grace that lead us closer to You. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Matthew 7:9-10 “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?”
Matthew 7:9-10 is a profound part of Jesus’ teachings on prayer, where He emphasizes the goodness and generosity of God the Father. The passage uses a relatable comparison between human parents and God. Jesus points out that even though human parents are flawed and sinful, they still naturally desire to give good things to their children. He uses the imagery of a child asking for bread or fish – basic sustenance – and contrasts this with the absurd idea that a parent would give their child something harmful, like a stone or a serpent, instead.
The essence of this teaching is to highlight the contrast between human and divine generosity. If imperfect human parents know how to provide for their children’s needs, how much more will our perfect and loving Father in heaven provide for us? This passage underscores God’s benevolence and generosity, encouraging believers to trust in God’s goodness and to approach Him with confidence in prayer.
From a Catholic perspective, this teaching aligns with the understanding of God as a loving Father, as articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). The Catechism states, “God reveals his fatherly omnipotence by the way he takes care of our needs; by the filial adoption that he gives us (‘I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty’)” (CCC 270). This passage from Matthew reinforces the idea that God’s fatherly care is trustworthy and attentive, always seeking our good.
These verses also form part of a larger discourse on the importance of persistent prayer. Jesus encourages His followers to ask, seek, and knock, assuring them that God will respond to their needs. This teaching resonates with the Catholic understanding of prayer as a continuous and trusting dialogue with God. Additionally, Catholics are taught to trust in God’s providence, believing that He knows what is best for us, as the Catechism explains that God’s providence leads us to our ultimate good, even if His answers to our prayers are not what we expect (CCC 302).
Furthermore, these verses echo the broader biblical theme of God’s provision for His people, as seen in the Old Testament. For example, in Psalm 37:25, David declares, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging bread.” God’s faithfulness is a consistent theme throughout Scripture, and Jesus affirms this in His teaching here.
Reflection:
In reflecting on Matthew 7:9-10, consider how often we doubt God’s willingness to provide for us. This passage challenges us to deepen our trust in God’s providence. In a world full of uncertainties, it’s easy to fall into the trap of anxiety and doubt about whether our needs will be met. However, Jesus reassures us that our heavenly Father is aware of our needs and is more than willing to provide for them. We are invited to approach God with the simplicity and trust of a child, confident that He will never give us anything harmful, even when His answers to our prayers might be different from what we expect.
This passage invites us to examine our prayer life: Do we truly believe that God will provide for us? Are we persistent in our prayers, trusting that God knows what is best? These verses call us to trust in His goodness and to approach Him with the confidence of a child asking a loving parent for what they need.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your boundless generosity and love. Help us to trust in Your divine providence and to come to You with the confidence of a child. Teach us to seek Your will in all things and to be patient in prayer, knowing that You always provide for our needs in the best way. Grant us the grace to be persistent in our prayers and to trust in Your perfect timing. Strengthen our faith so that we may never doubt Your goodness and always live in the assurance of Your unfailing care. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Matthew 7:11 “If you then, 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!”
In this passage, Jesus uses a powerful comparison to illustrate God’s goodness. He acknowledges that even imperfect human beings, referred to as “evil” in the sense of being flawed or sinful, are capable of giving good gifts to their children. This comparison serves to highlight the far greater generosity and goodness of God, who is perfect and all-loving.
The Catholic interpretation of this verse underscores that God, as our heavenly Father, is infinitely more capable and willing to provide for our needs than any earthly parent. This reflects the Catholic understanding of God as a loving and providential Father who desires to give His children what is truly good for them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that prayer is a vital means through which we communicate with God and express our needs, trusting in His divine providence (CCC 2736-2737).
Biblical Context and Catholic Teachings
This verse should be understood within the broader context of Jesus’ teachings on prayer and trust in God. Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches the Lord’s Prayer (Mt 6:9-13), which emphasizes the importance of seeking God’s will and relying on His provision. The Catholic Church encourages the faithful to approach God with confidence and humility, trusting in His wisdom and love.
The Church also teaches that while God is generous, His gifts are aligned with His will and our ultimate good. Thus, when we pray, we should seek not only material blessings but also spiritual growth and alignment with God’s will (CCC 2827). The “good things” referred to in this verse are not necessarily material blessings but rather the spiritual gifts and graces that lead us closer to God and help us grow in holiness. St. Augustine reminds us, “God does not always give us what we ask for, but He gives us what we need for our salvation” (St. Augustine, Sermon 80, 7).
Related Biblical References
– James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
– Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?”
– Luke 11:13: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Reflection
Matthew 7:11 challenges us to deepen our trust in God’s goodness. As we navigate the complexities of life, we often worry about our needs and desires. This verse reassures us that God, our loving Father, knows what is best for us and will provide for us out of His infinite love. It invites us to align our prayers with His will, seeking not just material blessings but the spiritual gifts that nurture our relationship with Him and help us grow in virtue.
In our prayer life, we are encouraged to be persistent, trusting, and open to receiving the graces God has in store for us. Our Father knows our needs before we even voice them, and He is always ready to give us what will lead us to true happiness and eternal life with Him.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your infinite goodness and love. Help us to trust in Your divine providence and to seek Your will in all things. Grant us the grace to ask for what we truly need and to be open to the gifts You wish to bestow upon us. May we always remember that You, our loving Father, know what is best for us, and that You are ever ready to provide for our needs. Strengthen our faith, deepen our trust, and guide us on the path to holiness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
CONCLUSION
Matthew 7:7-11 provides a profound assurance of God’s responsiveness to our prayers, encouraging us to approach Him with confidence, persistence, and trust. Through the metaphors of asking, seeking, and knocking, Jesus invites us to actively engage in a relationship with God, trusting that He is a loving Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children. This passage reassures us that our prayers are heard, and that God’s answers, though sometimes not as we expect, are always rooted in His perfect love and wisdom. As we grow in our prayer life, we are called to align our desires with God’s will, trusting that He knows what is best for our spiritual growth and salvation.
In this teaching, Jesus not only emphasizes the importance of prayer but also the nature of God as a benevolent Father who desires the best for us. Our persistence in prayer reflects our trust in His timing and His plan for our lives. As we ask, seek, and knock, we are reminded to remain steadfast in faith, confident that God’s responses, though sometimes different from our requests, are always for our ultimate good. This passage encourages us to deepen our relationship with God through prayer, trusting in His providence and growing in the knowledge that He is always attentive to our needs.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we come before You with grateful hearts, trusting in Your infinite love and wisdom. Help us to ask with humility, to seek Your will diligently, and to knock with persistent faith. May we always trust in Your perfect timing and Your desire to give us what is truly good for our souls. Strengthen our faith, deepen our trust, and guide us in all our ways, so that we may always remain close to You. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.