You also ask, in regards to your
first “proof”:
If "our Father
who is in heaven gives good things to those who ask him", then if we ask
him to cure cancer, he should cure it. Right?”
The way I see it, if you are going to hold
Jesus to account for the second half of the sentence that comprises Matthew
7:11, then you must also accept the first half of the same sentence, which
reads,
“If you, then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children…”.
Jesus, as recorded in this verse, is
encouraging us to take a really hard look at what should be the very best part
of any man or woman, aside from their relationship with their Maker, the manner
in which they treat their children. Our children are not only physically our
flesh and blood in most cases, but spiritually attached to us in a way that no other human
relationship can ever compare to. Whether born naturally or adopted, aside from
the biological commonalities, there is little or no difference. Children are
the diamonds in our crown, the apple of our eye, and in most cases, adults will
consider the continuance of their children’s lives to be far more important
than the prolongation of their own. You may attribute this to God, as I do, or
if you are so inclined, you may attribute it to evolution. Either way you look
at it, however, you simply can’t deny that it is without any doubt, one of, if
not the most, powerful of all our
genetic imperatives. I like to think that the need to ensure the survival of the species is the reason, and God has chosen to use love as the driving force
in the accomplishment of this crucial task. But whatever the case may be, if
there is anything at all that will bring out the best in a person, it is loving,
and caring for their children.
In verses 9 and 10 of the above-given
reference, Jesus inquires as to who would reply to their children’s request for
something good, (e.g. bread or fish), by giving the child something bad or
dangerous; a stone (not really suitable considering the request for food), or a
snake, by which the child might be bitten. His point, when taken in the context
of this entire reference, is very clear. He is pointing out the fact that even
though we humans have been corrupted by sin, and are thus, evil in comparison
to God, we still know how to give our children good things by way of answer to
their requests of us. We do this as an expression of our love for them, as
imperfect as it is. This imperfection within ourselves is something we are all
aware of in one way or another, and even accept as a matter of fact. Have we
not all, at one time or another, thrown up our hands in despair, or
frustration, and declared, “I’m only human!”
He then asks us to look even deeper, and
suggests that we consider, therefore, the Father’s perfection, and just how
much greater will be His reply, as a result of that perfection, to any request
from His children. We, as sinners, might err despite our best intentions; a
perfect God can only reply in a perfect manner. An incident from my early
childhood may serve to better illustrate the point I am attempting to make.
I was only 8 or 9 years old the year
I asked my parents for a chemistry set for either Christmas, or my birthday
(they both occur within a couple of weeks of each other). They sold such things
40-50 years ago, and having seen one advertised, I had decided I wanted to be a
scientist (I was a rather precocious child). At any rate, my parents finally
gave in and purchased one for me. At first, everything went smoothly, as I
compounded various green and purple fluids, and grew crystals to my heart’s
content. Unfortunately, my desire to discover, outlasted the supply of
chemicals that had come with the kit.
Now even at that early an age, I was
never one to let such minor obstacles stand in my way. If the chemicals in the
kit had run out, then I would have to find my own ingredients. I did so,
scrounging through every cupboard in our 3-storey house and amassing a rather
impressive collection of household chemicals with which I began to
“experiment”. What occurred during one of my self-designed trials was that
which I have ever since referred to as, my personal version of “The Big Bang”.
It was a rather simple experiment, and in my youthful innocence, I had no idea
of the potential danger involved in that which I had set out to do.
First, I added to a rather small
glass beaker, approximately a teaspoon of crystal Draino. Then, from a test
tube which I had filled with water from the kitchen tap, I proceeded (all the
while holding the beaker roughly 8-10 inches in front of my face so that I
could observe it very closely) to add the water to the Draino. I have no idea
how much water I actually added, because the glass beaker immediately exploded,
leaving roughly the top inch of its neck pinched between my two, very startled,
fingers. That was the day I learned that when you add water to crystal Draino,
it immediately produces temperatures somewhere in the range of 400 degrees
Fahrenheit. It is also quite likely that that was the day I started giving God
some serious thought. Young as I was, I still had a good idea what the odds
were of all that glass and superheated fluid missing my face entirely, as it
flew passed and hit the wall behind me. (I may actually be the guy who is
responsible for all those repetitious warnings we hear about “not trying this
at home”.)
So, when looked upon with the benefit
of hindsight, it would seem that my parents acquiescence to my request for a
chemistry set could very easily have had some rather tragic consequences. Were
my parents bad parents? Not at all. Giving your child a chemistry set was not
out of the ordinary in those times, and was even considered by many to be a
great way to foster within your child an interest in science. In my case it
certainly did, and that interest still remains. Personally, I’ve never really
had the difficulties that I understand some people have in accepting that
science, in at least some sense, is not at enmity with God, but is in fact, the
most excellent way of discovering the methods God used when designing this
Creation. That, by the way, is a personal view, and I don’t ask anyone to share
it with me, though you are welcome to if you feel yourself moved to do so. But
once again, I digress.
The point of this whole recollection is that
if my parents had somehow known what would happen with my then future, though
now in the past, experiment, they would have very likely refused to buy me the
chemistry set in the first place. Their refusal would have been the result (I
choose to believe) of their love for me, and their desire to keep me safe from
harm – having our home remain intact would simply have been the icing on the
cake. But they didn’t know, because they, like all the rest of we humans,
suffered from the problem of imperfection. And any decisions arrived at by the
use of an imperfect, or limited, mind, can only result in imperfect, or
limited, results.
God, on the other hand, suffers from
no such limitations. Knowing the past, present, and future, He would already
have known all that would result from my possession of the chemistry set, and
any decision He made regarding whether or not I should be trusted with such
equipment would be based on all the
data. I believe the same holds true in all decisions made by God, so if He
chooses to refuse one of His children something the child has asked for, there
is at least one thing we can be certain of. His omniscience, added to the love
He has declared for us, will guarantee that His refusal will in some way always
be the best thing that He could have done. Matthew 6:8 states very clearly:
“Do not be like them (the pagans),
for your Father knows what you need
before you ask Him.” (Emphasis and parenthetical statement mine.)
And it must always be remembered that
our needs, and our desires, are very often not the same thing. Our “needs” will
always contribute to our lasting benefit in some way, such as morally,
physically, or spiritually. Receiving our needs will thus be to our
edification. Our desires, on the other hand, not always, but often enough,
bring only a very temporary benefit, or no true benefit at all other than
instant, but brief, gratification of our somewhat less-than-noble desires. This
type of worldly desire provides very little, if any, edification, and may even
contribute greatly towards our destruction. Thus, the believer’s acceptance of
God’s answer to prayer, whether that answer is of a positive, or negative
character.
Before leaving this reference of yours, and moving on to the next, let us
consider one final verse;
“... The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and
effective.”
James 5:16b
(Emphasis mine.)
