Month: October 2015

As we continue exploring our New Covenant relationship with God our Father, we come to Matthew chapter 7.  “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.  Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone?  Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Mt 7:7-11).

Over and over again, I am drawn to the word “Father” when I read these New Testament passages.  I think we often just gloss over this title for God, maybe because have heard or read it so often.  But stop and think about it for a minute.  If you have embraced the gospel message of Jesus Christ, God is your Father!  The Sovereign of the Universe; the Almighty; the Omniscient and Omnipotent; God Himself is your Father!  It truly is incredible.

And one of the hallmarks of this fatherly care is that God is the giver of good gifts.  My hope for you is that you had a father who gave you good gifts, though sadly, I recognize that we do not all share this experience.  The “how much more” in verse 11 teaches us that God’s gifts are far superior to even the good gifts of our earthly fathers.

To receive these gifts, our role is to ask, seek, and knock.  There is a role for us to play in this transaction.  God’s promise, God’s side of the equation is to give, to be found, and to open the door.  And the foundation on which that promise stands is His identity as our Father.  We can trust God to come through on our behalf based on one simple fact.  God is our Father and He is a good Father.

Do you need God’s intervention in your life?  Ask.  Do you desire a closer walk with Jesus?  Seek.  Do you need a door blown open?  Knock.  Do you lack resources of some kind?  Ask.  Do you need direction for a pending decision?  Seek.  Do you sense the next step God has for you and your family, but are unsure how to proceed?  Knock.

God is waiting.  This passage starts with ask, seek, and knock, and ends with the assurance that our good Father will bring it about.  The ask, seek, and knock and good things will happen is not just thrown out as a maybe or a wish for or a hope so.  The promise is based on the character of the heavenly Father who is behind the promise.  And the Father-child relationship you share is the guarantee that “in asking, you will receive; in seeking, you will find; and in knocking, the door will be opened.”

One of the beauties of the commandments of Christ is that they are never tossed out in a vacuum.  That is, Jesus never expresses Himself as “just go do this because.”  Jesus, in His graciousness toward us, always gives the underlying reason for His commands.

For example, when Jesus speaks against divorce in Matthew chapter 19, he doesn’t just prohibit it and say that’s it.  Rather, He explains that divorce violates the first principles of marriage.  God designed marriage as a lifelong partnership.  “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (Mt 19:6).

Likewise, in our current topic of our Father’s care (Mt 6:25-33), Jesus instructs us not to worry; not to be anxious.  But Jesus doesn’t stop with just the instruction.  He tells us the why of “do not worry”.  Jesus demonstrates His compassion toward us by explaining the why.

Jesus says that you do not need to worry because your Father knows everything you need.  Your Father knows everything about you.  Your Father’s care for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field are just a small picture of His infinite and intimate care for you.  Jesus takes the wind out of our need to worry by not just prohibiting it, but by assuring us of our Father’s knowledge, care, and provision.

Following the example of Jesus in taking the wind out of our worry is something I needed to learn in leading our family.  Rhonda and I were married and started our family while still in college.  The combination of children (learning to parent when newly married) and college (having no money) led to plenty of anxiety.

My response to Rhonda’s anxiousness was a flippant, “Hey, don’t worry about it.”  It was a, “Stop worrying.  After all, the Bible says not to worry.”  This was my early approach to spiritual leadership in our marriage.  I did not recognize at the time that Rhonda’s gift for seeing the road ahead made her more aware of the dangers in front of us and the resulting worry that went along with that.  I was seeing life through my more naïve and phlegmatic nature which led to less worry on my part.  I needed to learn to ease her worries by my actions, not just words.  What did this look like in practice?

I discovered many areas of family life where I could ease Rhonda’s worries by taking action.  If Rhonda was worried about our finances and saw no clear path to pay for our next car need that was just around the corner, I learned to lead in planning together how we could save for that purchase instead of just saying, “Don’t worry about it.”  If Rhonda was worried that our homeschooling was going off the rails, I jumped into the planning with her rather than just telling her not to worry while I sat idly by.  If one of our children became disinterested in learning or their chores or connecting with our family goals, I stepped in with a plan to get us on the same page.  Do you see the pattern?

Jesus’ teaching assures us of the “why” to not worry.  In a similar way, those of us in a leadership position can often mitigate the worry around us by not only explaining and living into Jesus’ assurance, but by taking leadership action as well.  It is called leading by understanding and serving the needs of our family.

As we examine our new relationship with God as our Father, we come to a passage in Matthew chapter 6 about the Father’s provision.  “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air.  They do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?” (Mt 6:25-26).

Whose “father” are we talking about here who provides for the birds and much more provides for us?  Jesus calls God “your heavenly Father”.

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?  And why are you anxious about clothing?  Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.  But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?” (Mt 6:27-30).

It is a good question.  We know the right answer – that God will do much more for us – because we have read the rest of the story.  But think for a minute about Christ’s new followers there in first century Palestine.  Jesus almost takes God’s provision for granted, acting like God’s care for the birds, the flowers, and ultimately for us is obvious.  But to His listeners, this is new information.  They may have been thinking, “I don’t know.  Can God be trusted to provide?”

We might be thinking the same thing, “Can God be trusted to provide?”  Let’s continue, “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’  For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; and your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be provided” (Mt 6:31-33).

Your heavenly Father “knows” what you need.  Our assurance in our Father’s provision is not just in His ability to provide, but in His knowledge of what we need as well.  Jesus refers to this caring knowledge again in Matthew chapter 10.  “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Mt 10:29-31).

The Father knows the very number of the hairs on your head.  For some of us the counting is getting much easier the older we get.  But you see the point.  God’s knowledge of even the most mundane pieces of who we are assures us that He knows exactly what we need.  And His message to you in these passages is, “Do not be anxious, do not worry; your heavenly Father knows and provides what you need.”  Let us practice the habit of laying our anxious thoughts before our fruitful Lord and walking in His provision.