Does God grant any prayer request?
Matthew 7:7-11 reads:
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
This is the version familiar to most people.
There is a parallel version found in Luke 11:9-13:
9 “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Although the Matthew version is generally more familiar and more often seen, the Lucan version is considered to be closer to the original saying (Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes: A Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables in Luke (Combined edition)
Where this observation becomes key is in the concluding phrase of these passages. The Matthew version reads, “How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” In this version there appears to be no qualification for the asking, seeking, knocking. The audience could go away believing God will give anything to the one who asks, if he/she asks with enough passion, faith, diligence.
The Lucan version concludes, “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” This version is quite specific about what request God will grant without limits. In this version the audience cannot mistakenly go away believing God will grant any request or wish. In this version it is specifically the Holy Spirit that God will grant without measure.
This example I provide here shows one of the the dangers of a simplistic reading of Bible texts without, among other things, exploring variations and literary connections.
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