For the one who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened. If your child asks for a fish, will you give him a snake instead? And if your child asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion? If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Reflections
There are a number of ways of praying persistently. One is to keep begging God to give us something we want or that we think we need. Another is to think that somehow we can manipulate God or put him under some kind of obligation by asking him repeatedly. So, if I do a nine-day novena and say certain prayers each day, I may expect that God or some saint somehow is under an obligation to give me what I am asking for. This way of praying is helpful for some but we need to grow in our relationship with God. We are invited to pray like Jesus. It is to grow in intimacy with God. “To know him more clearly, love him more dearly, follow him more nearly.“ One way of moving in this direction is to make this the constant theme of our prayer. The more we pray for this the more likely it will become a reality in our lives. To pray then is not so much to ask God for everything we need. It is to feel God‘s presence in our lives and allow his presence to guide our everyday action and behavior. Richard Rohr says: Experiencing radical grace is like living in a different world. It‘s not a world in which I labor to get God to notice me and like me. It‘s not a world in which I strive for spiritual success. It‘s not a cosmic game of crime and punishment.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018