In the gospel according to Matthew, chapter 7, from verse 7 to 12, we encounter God as a loving father who gives good gifts to his beloved children. We get assurance that God is ever ready to grant us our heart’s desires. Unfortunately, instead of offering our request to GOD, with faith and complete trust, many of us Christians ask without any iota of conviction, or else we contend ourselves with complaining and worrying about the things we cannot do anything about by ourselves. Matthew chapter 7, verse 7 admonishes us; ‘ask, and it will be given to you, search, and you will find, knock and the door will be opened unto you.’ An evidence that God always fulfils his promises is to be found in the story of Queen Esther, the book of Esther chapter 14. When she was faced with a difficult situation, Esther presented her problems to God in prayers.
Scripture says she prayed from morning till evening, and even her maid servants joined her in prayer. Have you ever taken your issues to God as the first line of action or do you begin to find a solution by your efforts before you consult Him; He who has the blue print of your life?. Psalm 138:3 reminds us, ‘on the day I called, you answered me o Lord.’ Dear brothers and dear sisters God is always ready to do even greater things for us than we can ever dare to ask or imagine. We only need to do our own part by taking our problems to Him in prayer. Prayer does not only bring our request to God, it also strengthens our relationship with Him. This is the reason why St. Theresa of Lucio says to us, ‘Prayer is a communication between friends.’ This season of Lent, let us take time to strengthen our friendship with God by engaging in more personal and private moments of prayer. I bet you, dear brothers and sisters, if you do that you will see amazing transformation in your life. May God hear and answer all our prayers.
• Most. Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
