Luke 11:11-13 (NIV): “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
I’ll bet God is amazed by those who approach Him, the Father of their souls, the One who loves them enough to die for them, the One who gave His all so that they could approach Him in the first place, and act as if they have to beg and plead with Him to give them what they truly need! They would never believe that their own children should approach them that way, begging and pleading on bended knee for their food each mealtime. Yet they really seem to think of God, not as a loving Father, but as a harsh taskmaster who must be appeased, and from whose fingers blessings must be pried. And that includes such mundane things as daily bread (which He told us to ask for), all the way up to the Holy Spirit. It is a fact that God can only bless those who are living in obedience to Him, and that if someone is NOT living in obedience to Him, they are living in rebellion and should expect nothing from His hand (although He still blesses them in many ways just because of His love and grace). But those who are living in obedience, who put God’s agenda at the top of everything, and who work with all that is in them for the kingdom, have only to ask for what they need, including the fullness of the Spirit, and it will be given to them as well. If someone is living outside of God’s provision, the problem is not God’s hard-heartedness, or in their lack of passion in asking, but merely in the orientation of their hearts. (See James 4:2-3.)
Father, this is a really good lesson that we all need to take to heart. Help each of us to learn to live in YOUR economy, and to be completely obedient to You, so that we can have what we need, what we ask for in faith. Amen.