- 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
- 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
- 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
- 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
- 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matthew 7)
I am constantly amazed at how layered the scriptures are. There is such depth and applicability, and as we strive to become deep people ourselves and to apply all God has to teach to us, he can break through the limitations of how we currently understand him to be and show us how he actually is.
You've probably heard these verses in Matthew 7 before, and you have probably heard them taught to mean that we should ask God for things we want, believing he will give them to us. Many people think these verses are saying that, because he is such so much a better father than any earthly father, God will give us whatever we ask for. While there is an element of truth to that, I take issue with the notion that this is, somehow, the ideal. It isn't–not because God isn't the ideal, but because, as human beings, we have such a propensity to receive less than the best things he desires to give us. This ought to be easily recognized, since no rational adult would believe it's best to give a child whatever they ask for. Not only will children often ask for things that are less than the best, they will also sometimes ask for things that are absolutely terrible for them. If we, "being evil," know better than to give those things to them, should we not believe the same about what God would and would not give to us? Should we not believe that he has the wisdom to introduce the best things to us instead?
How would you feel if you were a son asking for bread from his father and he gave you a stone? How would you feel if you asked for fish and he gave you a serpent? Would you be perplexed? Probably. Would you question his love for you? Would you doubt the goodness of his character?
How would those feelings change if you knew those things were related to him somehow? Stones and serpents are symbols of Christ. Is it possible that, in giving them to you, he would be introducing you to aspects of himself that you currently see as unattractive and undesirable? It is possible, and I believe that this is exactly what Jesus is trying to convey in this passage of scripture. (I won't quote it here, but I recently stumbled upon the Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew 7, and I think it affirms this interpretation.)
If you live it correctly, the gospel becomes a mechanism to teach us about the things that will truly fulfill our desires. There are many things that won't, and God knows this. He also knows that most people are likely to want the things that won't. However, the truth is that we have to start somewhere, and God delights in us taking our initial desires to him. He wants us to ask for bread, and he wants us to ask for fish, but truly living the gospel requires us (1) to be humble and teachable, acknowledging the counterfeits when they are revealed to be such and (2) to willingly receive the real things that will truly and lastingly fulfill our desires, however unappealing they may seem to be, at first.
God is the best Father. He has no problem giving us stones and serpents when they are for our benefit. If you are honest in heart and taking your desires to him with the expectation that he will lead you to the things that best fulfill those desires, don't be afraid when he gives you stones and serpents. Don't even be surprised. Ask him for the reasons why the stones and serpents are better than the things you asked for, and even though it might take a while, he will tell you why and how those stones and serpents are part of his plan for you, which is to help you become as He is (which is to help others become as he is—worlds without end).