Our God is a Father, is the Father, and He has revealed Himself as one who is eager to provide for us. Jesus said, “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Lk. 11:9-10).

We are regularly tempted to feel that we don’t have what we need, and certainly not what we want. But not only is God is openhanded, He is also attentive, knowing exactly what we need. A good father is far more aware of what his child needs than he is. How much more is God aware of our needs?

What we ask or don’t ask God for reveals what we think about Him. To not ask God for what we want, provided it’s something we should desire, shows we think God is weak and unable to give it—basically that He is not God. Or that we think He is not good, not really interested in blessing His people.

This is why Jesus tells the parable of the friend who comes at midnight and asks for three loaves of bread to serve his guest. Even though the kids are in bed, he’s exhausted, he’ll still give the loaves to end the conversation.

How much more will our God who never gets tired give to those who diligently ask Him? He will give everything that we need, but He tells us to ask. The other thing we find when we ask God is His prerogative to say no. If a child asks his mother for stick of dynamite, will she give it to him? God is eager to bless and not destroy us, so asking Him acknowledges His wisdom in answering us. And our wisdom is measured in how we respond.