Good Gifts

If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Matthew 7:11

IF YOU’VE EVER seen a video of parents giving a special gift to their child, you’ll notice the camera often stays focused on the child. We usually concentrate on the joy of the child receiving the gift, because it seems that he or she is the one who’s benefiting the most in the whole transaction.

But if you could pan the camera back and focus on the parents’ faces as their child opens something precious, you’d start to see a broader picture. You’d notice the parents’ secret smiles as they watch their child erupt with squeals of happiness. You’d notice the satisfied glances and sparkling eyes as the parents quietly receive their child’s thanks—and you might change your mind about who benefited the most after all.

Parents love having the opportunity to give good things to their children. They love being able to provide for needs and solve problems, yes—but there’s something special about a chance to bless a person you love with a gift.

According to Matthew 7:11, that’s how God feels about us. God delights in giving us good things. He’s the source of every blessing we’ve ever received, and he’s promised in his Word to respond when we come before him with open hearts and speak of our needs and our wants. He doesn’t give us everything we ask for, of course. That would be a disaster for us! But God has promised to give good gifts to his children.