Thursday of the
First Week of Lent
(Esther C:12.14-16.23-25; Matthew 7:7-12)
Skeptics use gospel passages like the one today to
demonstrate the folly of prayer. They say
something like, “Lord, give me a million dollars.” Because they never receive the fortune, they
conclude that God does not listen to prayers.
Of course, they misunderstand the kind of prayer that Jesus has in mind.
Jesus’ premise is that we go to God as His children. He wants us to develop a relationship with God
that is as close as the one many enjoy with a natural parent. One man recalls how his father was the finest
person he ever met. He said his father
was not educated but intelligent and, better, truthful and caring. Trusting that God is eminently like this, we will
find Him responsive to our petitions.
We develop a filial relationship with God by showing Him
gratitude for all that we have. We thank
God even for our own handiwork because it can be ultimately traced to Him. Then we ask God for what we need. We will do so humbly because He has already
blessed us abundantly. And we will find
our prayers answered as surely as the sun rises.
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