Confidence in the Father

We have a little dog named Frida. She’s not big or strong, but she’s bold — especially when it comes to me. She follows me around the house like I’m the center of her world. She thinks she belongs on the bed, even if I just made it. She’ll come over and gently tap me with her paw — not because she’s afraid, but because she knows I care for her. She expects that I’ll respond, whether it’s to pet her, feed her, or just let her be close.

And honestly, she’s right. She’s confident — not because she’s earned it — but because she knows her place in our home, and she trusts my heart toward her.

Jesus wants us to come to God with that same kind of confidence — not timidly, not reluctantly, but boldly. In Matthew 7, He says, “Ask, and it will be given… Seek, and you will find… Knock, and it will be opened.” He’s not talking about manipulating God — He’s inviting us to trust in the goodness of our Father who loves to give good gifts to His children.

Matthew 7:7–11 ESV

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 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!

Pursue God More

Jesus uses three words that ought to characterize how we approach our Father: ask, seek, and knock. These are not passive actions. They describe the pursuits of a believer who actively comes to God with expectation and boldness. Jesus is inviting us to confidently pursue our Father.

Now, let’s be clear: when we talk about pursuing God, it might sound one-sided—like God is hiding and we’re trying to find Him. People often say, “I found Jesus,” as if He were the one who was lost. But Scripture tells a different story. God is the one who made the first move.

1 John 4:19 ESV

19 We love because he first loved us.

That’s why the pursuit of God brings blessing. It’s not a search in the dark. He invites us to know Him because He has already revealed Himself—through creation and, most importantly, through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But the context in Matthew 7 isn’t about unbelievers coming to faith. Jesus is speaking to His disciples—to those who already believe. The pursuit of God doesn’t end at salvation; it deepens.

So what does our pursuit look like?

Seeking God in Repentance

Jeremiah 29:13 ESV

13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

We pursue God when we return to Him from sin. Think of Adam and Eve: after they sinned, their instinct was to hide. We do the same. Shame causes us to retreat. But God's invitation is to return—to seek Him with all our hearts, and find grace waiting.

Seeking Christ and His Reign

Colossians 3:1–4 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Our pursuit must also be forward-looking and heavenward. Paul calls us to shift our thinking toward eternal things. Too often our minds get stuck in earthly patterns, like dead branches that weigh down a fruitful tree. But because Christ is risen, we can lift our thoughts, priorities, and desires to what truly matters.

Pursuing God More

So pursuing God is not about chasing a distant God. It is about responding to a Father who has already drawn near to us and invites us to more. And the more we pursue Him, the more we discover that He is better than we thought, wiser than we are, and more true than anything we can discover in this world.

That leads us to the second truth Jesus reveals: to pursue God rightly, we must also trust the heart of the One we're pursuing. Let’s consider what it means to trust the character of the Father.

Trust the Father’s Heart

Let’s now turn our attention to verses 9–11. Jesus shifts the focus to a specific area of our pursuit: our needs. When we ask, seek, and knock, we are not grasping in the dark. We go to God because He has promised to act toward us as a wise and generous Father.

The concept of God as Father shares much in common with earthly fatherhood. A father gives life. A father provides guidance. A father corrects and disciplines. A father watches over his children. But in this passage, Jesus makes it clear: For the Christian, God is a “much more” Father.

Let’s be honest — parenting has never been easy. Even the best parents today are far from perfect. They forget things, burn the food, lose their temper, and make jokes that embarrass their kids. Sometimes they act out of selfishness. Honestly, just keeping up with the basics can be a challenge. And yet — in spite of all that — flawed, imperfect parents still love their children and try to give them what they need.

Jesus says: If that’s what broken people can do… how much more will your perfect Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him? Even the best earthly parents, when compared to God, are described as “evil.” There’s no comparison.

God never forgets. He never messes up. He never acts out of selfishness. He always speaks truth. He always gives what is good. And He does it on purpose — with joy. He is graciously inclined toward us.

A Generous Reputation

God has a generous reputation.

Think about it like this. In the world of investing, companies issue a prospectus — a document that outlines their history, vision, risks, and what kind of return you might expect. It’s meant to build confidence in potential investors. But there’s always a disclaimer: “Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.”

Jesus offers something far greater. The Bible is, in a sense, God’s prospectus — a record of His faithfulness, His promises, and His plans. But here’s the difference: God’s past performance is a guarantee. He has never failed, and He never will.

When Jesus says, “How much more will your Father give good things to those who ask?” He’s not making a sales pitch. He’s revealing the trustworthy track record of a perfect Father whose promises are backed by His unchanging character.

Paul echoes this truth in Romans 8:31–32

Romans 8:31–32 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

God has already taken care of our greatest need. Our biggest problem isn’t material — it’s spiritual. We were spiritually dead and separated from God, with no bridge we could build to cross the gap. No miracle cure could fix it. So God built the bridge. He made the way. He paid the price for restoration, forgiveness, and justice — all through His Son.

And Paul’s logic is simple: If God has already done the costliest thing — giving up His Son — won’t He also take care of the smaller things we need? We can ask boldly, knowing that God is for us, not against us.

That’s why Jesus invites us to pray with assurance. We don’t pray hoping someone’s listening, or fearing that He might mess up and give us something harmful. We pray knowing our Father is already at work, already on our side. He is for us — and He is always good.

Pray with Confidence

I remember when my son was first learning about prayer. He had a problem at school, and we encouraged him to pray and trust God to work it out. But when things didn’t change immediately, he felt disappointed. He concluded that prayer “didn’t work.” We reminded him to keep praying, to be patient, and to trust that God was still at work. Now, years later, he has a much stronger trust in God. But back then, he was ready to give up because prayer didn’t meet his expectations. That’s not the conclusion Scripture wants us to have. God wants us to pray with a matured understanding, persistence, and trust.

Maturing in Prayer

Prayer is not the submission of a wish list to a divine Santa Claus. Scripture teaches us that prayer is both relational and transformational. As we grow in Christ, our prayers begin to reflect deeper trust and greater alignment with God's purposes.

Let’s consider three key truths about mature prayer.

Approach God in Faith

Matthew 21:22 ESV

22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

What kind of faith is this? Not vague optimism or positive thinking, but a full entrusting of ourselves to God. Faith says, “I am placing all my eggs in one basket — God’s basket.” That’s not an easy place to live. It’s vulnerable. But faith rests in the character of a faithful God who created heaven and earth. If we place our needs before Him in faith, then we must also leave them there — not picking them back up in worry, but faithfully trusting Him to work.

Obedience and Abiding

Faith is essential, but Scripture also emphasizes obedience and abiding in Christ.

1 John 3:22 ESV

22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.

John 15:7 ESV

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

These verses remind us that prayer is not just about asking — it's about walking. Obedience and abiding are part of how we grow closer to the heart of God. This is the lesson we tried to teach our son. He was ready to give up, but we taught him to continue in obedience while waiting on God. And in time, God did answer. But even more than that, our son learned something deeper — that God uses our struggles to shape our faith and make it mature.

According to His Will

1 John 5:14–15 ESV

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

This is one of the most overlooked truths in Scripture about prayer: that God hears and responds when we pray according to His will. Many of us have heard it said that God answers prayer in one of three ways — Yes, No, or Wait. That’s a helpful framework. It reminds us that prayer is not a way to command God to do what we want. He is not a genie in a lamp.

Prayer is not about asking, “What do I want?” Prayer matures when we start asking, “What does God want?”

And the more we mature in our prayer life, the more we find ourselves praying in line with His will.

Confident Prayer That Pleases God

So what does God want us to pray for?

He wants us to pray for our daily physical needs

He wants us to pray for our spiritual growth and understanding

He wants us to pray for His Kingdom to advance in the hearts of others

These are prayers that are always within His will. And we can ask them — and all things — with bold confidence, knowing that our good Father will answer in the best way possible.

This is what it means to ask, seek, and knock — not as people trying to take control, but as beloved children trusting in a Father who always does what is good.