“Be not ye therefore like unto them:
for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
(Matthew 6:8)
The scene in Matthew 6 involves a crowd of people gathered to hear what Jesus had to say. And on this particular day the Lord is teaching them how to pray. Previous to verse 8, He uses hypocrites and the heathen to illustrate how we are not to pray… offering loud and lengthy public prayers in order to appear religious to those in hearing distance.
In fact, He tells us that God’s children need not do any of that, because our every need, every burden, every circumstance is fully known by God before it is ever expressed. Prayer, therefore, is not an act of informing God but of worshipping and submitting to Him.
When we pray, we often seek immediate answers and specific outcomes, thinking that we know best what should be given and when. Yet our Father not only knows what we want, He also knows what we truly needed. And most of the time the two are worlds apart. What the heart seeks may not be at all what the soul requires. So instead of getting the answer we are looking for, we are called instead to trust in the wisdom of God’s provision.
When God withholds, He is testing and instructing. When He delays, He is refining our faith. So to learn to want with patience is a necessary part of the Christian life. It teaches us to receive blessings with gratitude when they come, and to endure their absence with submission when they do not.
Moreover, God gives in perfect proportion, neither withholding what is necessary nor granting what would harm. This ordering is an expression of His fatherly care. And so we must remember that the Lord’s timing is never wrong. Our impatience only reveals a lack of faith in God’s wisdom. Patience and trust, on the other hand, reflects a settled and sincere assurance that He will act rightly.
This sincerity of heart is rooted in our love for Christ, which serves as a strong defense in this life.[1] And such love draws us to the Father with confidence that He knows what we need and will provide according to His wisdom. Only then does prayer become what God intended—an act of dependence and submission, shaped by trust rather than demand.
Contemplations:
- God’s Perfect Knowledge. The Lord’s knowledge removes all uncertainty from prayer. There is no need to persuade Him through many words, nor to inform Him of hidden details. This shifts prayer from anxiety to trust, reminding us that the outcome rests not on our words but on His wisdom.
- The Discipline of Waiting. Delay in receiving what we ask God for exposes whether trust is genuine or conditional. When we learn to wait, we recognize that God’s timing is not subject to our demands. This waiting then becomes a means of strengthening faith and refining desire.
- The Measure of Provision. God’s distribution of blessings is perfect. What is given is neither excessive nor insufficient. Knowing this teaches us to accept both abundance and lack as expressions of His care, rather than indications of His favor or neglect.
- The Role of Affliction. Correction is not separate from provision; it is part of it. The rod serves to shape us, bringing us into greater conformity with God’s will. So to bear affliction rightly is to recognize its purpose and submit to it. Understanding this truth helps us see suffering as a means of growth instead of a burden.
Prayer (Supplication)
Most wise and gracious Father, I realize that You know my needs more perfectly than I know them myself. You see what is hidden from me, understand what I cannot discern, and order all things according to Your wisdom. I ask that You teach me to trust in Your knowledge and submit to Your will in all that concerns me.
Lord, I confess that I am often impatient in my desires. I seek immediate answers and specific outcomes, forgetting that Your timing is perfect. Grant me grace to wait on You with a steady heart. Let me not grow restless under delay, but learn to trust that what You withhold or postpone is for my good. Strengthen my faith, that I may rest in Your wisdom even when I do not understand Your ways.
I ask that You align my desires with what is truly good. Remove from me every request that arises from ignorance or self-interest, and shape my prayers according to Your will. Teach me to seek not what I want, but what You have determined is best. Let my heart be governed by a desire to please You rather than to satisfy my own inclinations.
Lord, grant me patience in times of lack. When You deny what I ask, help me receive that denial with humility. Let me learn to want with patience, trusting that You will provide what is necessary at the right time. Keep me from murmuring or questioning Your care, and establish me in contentment with what You have given.
I ask also for strength to bear affliction rightly. When You discipline me, grant me the grace to endure it with submission. Let me remember that I am corrected for my good, that I may grow in righteousness. Do not allow me to resist Your discipline, but teach me to receive it as an expression of Your love.
Guard my heart from envy and discontent. Keep me from comparing my condition with that of others, and from resenting what You have given to them. Let me rejoice in Your goodness wherever it is seen, and remain satisfied with Your provision for me.
And Lord, I ask You to establish sincerity within me. Let my service be rooted in love for You, not in outward appearance or desire for approval. Give me a heart that seeks You truly, and let that sincerity be my defense against reproach and weakness.
Finally, I ask that You lead me in all things according to Your perfect will. Direct my steps, guide my decisions, and order my life in a way that brings honor to Your name. Let me rely on You in every circumstance, knowing that You are a faithful Father who provides wisely and perfectly.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Further Scripture References for Matthew 6:8:
Matthew 6:32; Deuteronomy 2:7; Psalm 38:9; Psalm 69:17
[1] Edmund Calamy, Saints Memorials, Or, Words Fitly Spoken, like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver, (London: s.n, 1674), 138-142.
