Rev. Mike Osborne preaches a chapel message on Matthew 7:7-12 at RTS Orlando as part of a series on God's goodness. The message is entitled "The Good Father."
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 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? 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! So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:7-12)The Word of the Lord. Let’s pray. Father, we come today expectantly because you are a good Father. Send your Spirit, we pray. Let him be our teacher and point us to our glorious and wonderful Savior. And we pray this in his name, Amen. You might have heard this story. I finished reading, not long ago, a biography of Harry S. Truman. The date was April 12, 1945, the time 3:35 in the afternoon. The place was Warm Springs, Georgia, where a physician had recommended that FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, should go for some health benefits. But unfortunately, at 3:35 that afternoon, FDR was pronounced dead from a massive cerebral hemorrhage. And he was young, too. He was only 63—seems very young to me. His vice president for less than three months, Harry Truman, was quickly summoned to the White House. And FDR’s wife, Eleanor, met him there and told him the president had passed away. A stunned Truman said to Eleanor, “What can I do for you, Mrs. Roosevelt?” And she replied, “Mr. Truman, is there anything we can do for you?” It’s a little similar to what Jesus often said to people when he was here on the earth. You might remember in Matthew 20, Jesus met two blind men outside Jericho, and he said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” You might remember he was approached by James and John one day in Mark 10 with a request. And he said, “What do you want me to do for you?” And they said, “Grant us to sit, one at your right and one at your left in your glory.” And also in Mark 10, the story about Bartimaeus. He could have been one of those two blind men I mentioned earlier. Jesus said to Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Rabbi,” he said, “Let my eyes be recovered. Let me recover my sight.” It’s the same thing here in this passage, Matthew 7. “Ask, and it will be given to you.” He is saying, “Is there anything that I can do for you?” “For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Now, you would think that based on these wonderful promises here in this text, we would never stop knocking on the door of heaven. Yet I suspect that many of you this morning, if you’re honest, would say that prayer is one of the things you struggle with the most. I would. Many of us would admit that we spend much more time trying to make things happen or wishing that things would happen than we do praying that things will happen. Or perhaps you would admit that we pray sporadically or only in times of emergency or halfheartedly. Some of us would have to confess that we don’t pray very often as families or as married couples or as members together of a seminary community. Why is that? What can explain our prayerlessness? Well, I can think of quite a number of reasons. But being as our time is a little bit limited, let me suggest two things. Two reasons why we don’t pray very often, perhaps don’t pray very well, and pray only half-heartedly. Two reasons, both start with D. We downplay the difficulties that we face each day. And secondly, we doubt God’s love and concern. Downplay and doubt, D and D, to help you remember.
