How Much More

Tonight, my one-year-old, Hudson, awoke at 4 am. Like most nights, I thought if I got him a sippy cup, both he and I would go back to sleep. I was wrong. He did not have near as much interest in the milk as he was in being held. So there I stood for probably about 20 minutes just holding him. It was not a chore, it was a delight because as much as I love to sleep, I know these moments with my children are fleeting.

As I’m holding him, I begin to think of all the times the Lord has held me. The times He makes me feel loved, secure and comforted. The Lord began speaking to me about Matthew 7. For those who know me and the current situation with my vision, you know that I am facing a fierce warfare to keep my sight. I have been aggressively losing vision since late Spring of 2017. After two failed surgeries, I am blind in my left eye and I am currently experiencing hemorrhaging in my right eye, the only eye that has sight.

To say that I have been fearful over the last few months would be a great understatement of my emotions. I am trying with all that is in me to trust the Lord, but how many of you know that when all you see (physically and emotionally) are setbacks, damage and a worsening of the condition, it is hard to continue on in faith. Many of you reading this know exactly what I am describing. It may not be your physical vision like it is for me, but perhaps it is a spouse that has turned and walked away, and the more you pray, the worse things get. Maybe it is a wayward son or daughter or grandchild? The more you trust the Lord, the harder the situation becomes.

Tonight, the Lord gave me a sweet reminder of His great and precious promises. As I was holding my son, the Lord kept saying, Matthew 7:7-11, “Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which of you, if his sons asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

What a sweet reminder of the value of prayer! It is not a waste of time to go before our Heavenly Father. Satan will tell us, “You’re wasting your time.” He will hinder us by saying, “God is not paying attention. Things are only getting worse. You’ve asked God one hundred times and still, there is no answer.” What a liar Satan is! (John 8:44) God promises that if we will ask, knock and seek, God will answer!

Good Things
One of my difficulties with this verse is understanding what, “good things” the text is referring to. Does this mean God will give me all my wishes and desires? Certainly not. Even as parents, we do not give our own children everything they ask for. So what does the Bible mean by stating we will receive good things from the Lord? If we can rightly understand the meaning of the good things the Lord wants to do for us, then we can recognize His grace and mercy more so (especially in the seasons where it does not appear He is working for in our favor).

First, consider Romans 8:32. Paul echoes the truth Jesus spoke of when he writes, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how much will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?” Again, at face value, it would appear God will give us anything we pray for. So how do you define, “all things” practically and biblically?

When interpreting passages of the Bible, especially topical or singular verses, it is vital that you understand Scripture in light of other Scriptures. In other words, we are not to interpret passages based on how we feel, what we think or even how we were raised. So when I read in Romans 8:32 that God will freely give me, “all things” then I am to interpret this with other Scripture to give me a greater understanding.

Peter addressed this very issue in his letter to suffering Christians. He reminds them, as well as reminding believers today, in 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” So watch the thread. Jesus says in Matthew 7 that if we ask, knock and seek that our Heavenly Father will give us what we are believing for. Then Paul says in Romans 8 that if God gave up His Son, how much more so will He freely give us all things. Now Peter confirms that God’s divine power has granted us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Can you see the biblical link between, “all things”?

Life & Godliness
It says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” Everything we need in our physical life and everything we need in our spiritual life, God has promised to provide.

As Christ followers, do we not face many different needs? There are times we will have physical needs like an increase in our monthly income to provide for our families. God has promised to meet that need. Other times it is physical healing so we can go forward and accomplish God’s will on the earth. God has promised to meet that need. Then there are times we face spiritual needs. The need for spiritual guidance and understanding. He has given us the Holy Spirit, His precious Word, and other believers to provide the answers we need. There are seasons in which we need greater humility, seasons we need more spiritual power in our praying, times that we need to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord. In every one of those seasons, God has promised to give us what we need.

Your Father Who is in Heaven
Going back to our text in Matthew 7, the Bible reminds us that God is our “Father who is in Heaven.” These great promises of Scripture is not for every person. They are exclusively reserved for the children of God. Not everyone can claim this promise, but only those who are born again and have a Father/Child relationship with the Lord.

Think how well you know your own children. How close attention you pay to their needs, their behaviors and even their wants and desires. How much more does our Heavenly Father know those who are His? He knows us so well that He numbers the very hairs of our head (Matthew 10:30). We do not even number our own hairs. God knows us far better than we know ourselves.

Jesus taught us that when we pray, we are to address the Almighty not as a distant God, but simply as, “Our Father, who is in Heaven..” (Matthew 6:9). Romans 8:15 teaches us to call the Lord, “Abba, Father.” It is a tender word literally meaning, “Poppa.” Can you see the invitation the Bible gives to have a closeness, a nearness to the Lord?

You Know How to Give Good Gifts
What a comparison Jesus makes between us and the Lord in verse 11. Jesus reminds us that even though we love our children, we are earthly. As a matter of fact, He takes it a step further and calls us, “evil.” Why would Jesus call us that? This is a confirmation of the doctrine called, Total Depravity. We are born depraved and dead in sins. Even though someone is kind or moral, their mind, will and emotions are tainted by sin. Jesus is saying that even if we love our children (in a depraved state) how much more does our Heavenly Father care for us! What an incredible thought.

I love my children with all my heart, but I am still selfish. I feel like I would do anything in the world for them, but there are still times they get on my nerves. There times I’ need a break from them. If I compare the earthly love I have for my children compared to the Heavenly love God has for me, there is no comparison. The difference is He is holy. He is righteous. He is perfect. He is excellent. He is God. When I look at my feeble attempt to love my kids, I still contend with pride, arrogance, self-doubt and all the rest that comes along with a fallen nature.

So what does all this mean? It means I can rest confidently in God’s love for me. I can trust that He is going to do what is best for me. I may not be a perfect dad — correction — I am far from being a perfect dad. But God, He is perfect. His ways are perfect. I can trust Him. How much more so will you trust Him?