Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:7-11
“Prayer is not about changing God, but being willing to let God change us… Jesus goes so far as to say that true prayer is always answered (Matthew 7:7–11). Now we all know that is not factually true—unless He is talking about prayer in the sense that I am trying to describe it. If you are able to switch minds to the mind of Christ, your prayer has already been answered! That new mind knows, understands, accepts, and sees correctly, widely, and wisely. Its prayers are always answered because they are, in fact, the prayers of God too… Paul puts it this way: “You are hidden with Christ in God. When Christ is revealed — and He is your life — you too will be revealed in all your glory within Him” (Colossians 3:3–4). It does not get any better than that, and you are now personally in on the deal. Basically prayer is an exercise in divine participation — you opting in and God always there!”
Richard Rohr in Breathing Under Water (London: SPCK, 2016), 75.
This marks the last post in exploring what is needful from this book by Richard Rohr.
We live in a time when the idea of “opting in” takes our minds to choosing to put our name on a list, or deciding to join some group. Today Rohr suggests that it is needful for us to see prayer as opting in.
I like this notion because all too often prayer appears as us asking God for what we need.
This exposes the fact that we see ourselves and our needs at the center of all things. Alternatively, when prayer is an exercise in divine participation, we discover that God is always there and in Him we have all we need.
This relates to generosity because it transforms the person whose life is hidden with Christ in God.
We shift from feeling anxiety about the future or whatever petition we want to bring to the Lord to feeling confident that He will give us bread and fish if we need them and not stones and snakes.
What is the meaning of these words for us practically?
The significance of God giving us bread over stones in the Scripture is giving something useful to sustain us instead of something useless. The link to fish and snakes is giving something beneficial instead of harmful.
We can live, give, serve, and love generously because that’s God’s posture toward us when we opt in with Him in prayer. We are participating with the One who is always ready to do good toward us.
This is a good word on Independence Day in USA.
While the nation celebrates 250 years, I am over the Pacific heading to Australia. I want to remind readers in USA and anywhere else where they can pray and worship God freely to pause and give thanks to God.
And let us lift up and brothers and sisters around the world who do not have this same freedom.