1499) Prayer was always a confusing thing to me when I was a child. My Sunday school teachers taught me that the Bible says we are to come to God with our requests, but when I asked of God; it didn’t seem he answered me as I asked.

For example, there may have been something I wanted for Christmas and I’d ask God for it and then on Christmas day . . . You get the idea. What I didn’t understand about prayer is what Jesus reveals in Matthew 7:7-10.

In these verses, Jesus continues his message in the Sermon on the Mount. He addresses prayer saying Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

As I read this verse, I took God at his word as my childlike faith encouraged and when I’d ask, seek and knock, if what I was praying for didn’t materialize, then confusion set in. I’m wondering if adults find this confusing, too.

The best way to deal with this “dilemma” is to use a most basic Bible study tool (which I addressed once in my weekly newsletter) and that is, Context is King.

If you read the rest of Jesus’ words on this subject, verses 10-11 reveals the context of verse 7. It reads (and I paraphrase). When your child asks for fish, would you give them a snake? (Of course not!) How much more would your heavenly father give you good gifts to those who ask?

Praying for what we need or what we think we want is a good thing. What’s even better is knowing when we see these prayers answered (or not granted), we can sit back in peace, knowing God granted (or didn’t) what we asked because it is good for us. Good, as in God’s definition and not in our limited idea.

God answers our prayers! This you can count on.