Imagine this: In November 1844, George Mueller, a Victorian-era Christian known for his care of orphans, began praying for the conversion of five individuals. He didn’t just toss up a quick prayer and call it a day. No, he prayed for them every single day—whether he was sick or healthy, at home or on the road, swamped with work or free.
Eighteen months later, the first came to faith. Mueller thanked God and kept praying. Five years after that, the second was converted. Six more years passed before the third found Christ. Still, two remained—sons of a friend—unconverted. Did Mueller give up? Not a chance. He kept praying daily, trusting God’s goodness.
Thirty-six years into this journey, he wrote, “They are not converted yet, but they will be.” And in 1897—fifty-two years after he began, and after Mueller himself had gone to be with the Lord—those final two men gave their lives to Christ.
What fueled such relentless prayer? Mueller knew God as a good Father—one who hears, who cares, and who gives good gifts, even if the answers take a lifetime to unfold.
That’s the heartbeat of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:7-12. Because God is our good Father, we can ask boldly, seek persistently, and trust Him fully—both for ourselves and for the way we love others.
Living as Citizens of the Kingdom
In this series, Lessons from the King, we’ve been unpacking Jesus’ proclamation that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. He didn’t just announce it; He taught us what it means to live as citizens of that Kingdom. That is what the Sermon on the Mount is about.
And here’s the thing: citizenship isn’t about following a checklist of rules out of fear of punishment. You can obey laws and still not be loyal. True righteousness—true citizenship—flows from a transformed heart, a heart loyal to King Jesus. That’s what matters.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus keeps circling back to the condition of our hearts. We’ll live righteous lives if our hearts are good—but how do we get there? As He nears the end of this teaching, that’s the question He’s tackling: How can we have transformed hearts?
Let’s walk through Matthew 7:7-12 to find out, starting with the middle section—verses 9-11—because it’s the key that unlocks the rest.
God Is Our Good Father (vv. 9-11)
Jesus asks a simple question: “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?”
If you’re a parent, you feel this in your bones. Love compels us to give our kids what they need—and often what they want, too. It hurts when we can’t. But let’s be honest: we’re also selfish. Sometimes we don’t want to be bothered, or we prioritize our own desires. There’s a conflict of interests inside us.
Now compare that to God. Jesus says, “How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him?”
If we, flawed as we are, can provide for our kids out of love, how much more can we trust God to provide for us? He doesn’t have that inner conflict—He loves us fully and desires what’s best for us.
I was reminded of this recently with our car troubles. We had front axle issues and an air sensor issue. After getting the axle issues fixed, the main display screen announced we needed to insert the Maps DVD. But the DVD was inserted, and now we couldn’t use the radio or the back-up camera. As I was taking it back to the Mechanic I heard a sound, I opened up the DVD player and the Maps DVD came out. I reinserted it, and it reinstalled. At that moment it hit me: I could trust God to provide for us. He’s not distant or stingy. He’s not waiting to condemn us—He sent Jesus to save us, to show us mercy, to bring us into His Kingdom. We can put our faith in Him because He’s a good Father.
We Can Be Confident in Asking (vv. 7-8)
With that in mind, Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.”
This kind of boldness in prayer was radical in the ancient world. Teachers didn’t go around telling people they could be confident God would answer. But Jesus does—because God is a good Father.
To get this right, we need context. Jesus isn’t handing us a blank check for anything we want. He’s still addressing how we live righteous lives, how holiness flows from our hearts.
In Luke’s parallel account (Luke 11:13), the “good gift” is named as the Holy Spirit—God’s wisdom and power to live as Kingdom citizens. This is what we’re to pray for.
God doesn’t want us independent of Him; He wants us dependent on Him. Unlike parents raising kids to stand on their own, God calls us to mature into deeper reliance on Him.
Dallas Willard put it this way: “We consume the most grace by leading a holy life, upheld by grace—not by continuing to sin and being repeatedly forgiven.”
So what do you need to live as a citizen of the Kingdom? Wisdom? Strength to crucify your flesh? Guidance? Transformation? Ask God for it—boldly—knowing He’ll provide.
We Can Treat Others with Love (v. 12)
Then Jesus ties it all together: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
That “therefore” (missing in some translations) is crucial. Because God is good, we can fulfill the Law and Prophets—not through rules, but through love.
We can be generous because God is generous to us. We can forgive because He’s forgiven us. We can show mercy because He’s shown mercy to us.
Back in verse 2, Jesus warned that the standard we use to judge others will be used on us. So we choose mercy, just as we’d want mercy for ourselves.
How do we live this out? Assume the best about people, not the worst. Maybe they’ve had a bad day, or they’re wrestling with grief, depression, or doubt. Give them the same grace you give yourself when you say, “I lost track of time,” “I’m not feeling well,” or “I didn’t sleep last night.”
A Challenge and a Thought
Take some time this week to meditate on what it means for God to be your good Father. Then ask Him—confidently—for the wisdom or transformation you need.
John Eldredge writes in The Way of the Wild Heart:
“You are the son of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step. This is perhaps the hardest thing for us to believe—really believe, down deep in our hearts, so that it changes us forever, changes the way we approach each day.”
Do we believe God is our good Father? The more we trust Him, the more we’ll experience transformation in our lives.
