Ask and it will be given to you: reflect as you pray

Da Paolo Tessione - March 5, 2020

Ask and you shall receive; search and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you ... "

"How much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him." Matthew 7: 7, 11

Jesus is very clear that when we ask, we will receive, when we search, we will find and when we knock, the door will be open to you. But is this your experience? Sometimes we can ask, and ask and beg, and it seems that our prayer remains unanswered, at least in the way we want it to be answered. So what does Jesus mean when he says "ask ... seek ... knock" and you will receive?

The key to understanding this exhortation from our Lord is that, as the Scripture states above, through our prayer, God will give "good things to those who ask." It does not promise us what we ask; rather, it promises what is truly good and good, in particular, for our eternal salvation.

This raises the question: "So how do I pray and for what do I pray?" Ideally, every intercessory prayer that we utter should be by the will of the Lord, nothing more and nothing less. Only his perfect will.

It may be more difficult to pray for what might be expected earlier. Too often we tend to pray that "my will be done" rather than "your will be done". But if we can trust and trust on a deep level, that the will of God is perfect and provides us with all the "good things", then seeking His will, asking for it and knocking on the door of His Heart will produce an abundance of grace as God want to grant it.

Reflect today on the way you pray. Try to change your prayer so that you are looking for the good things that God wants to bestow rather than the many things you want God to bestow. At first it can be difficult to detach from your ideas and your will, but in the end you will be blessed with many good things from God.

Lord, I pray that your will be done in all things. Above all, I wish to surrender to you and trust in your perfect plan. Help me, dear Lord, to abandon my ideas and my desires and always seek your will. Jesus I believe in you.