Luke chapter 11 is the famous passage in which Jesus introduces what have come to be known as the "Lord's Prayer." Responding to one of His disciple's request to "teach them how to pray," Jesus offers this most famous of all prayers. Immediately following that prayer, Jesus taught the parable of the "friend at midnight"—which teaches that "those who ask will receive." And it is in this context that our verse for today was spoken by Christ.

Leading up to verse 13, Jesus says to His disciples, "If you son asks you for some bread, you wouldn't give him a rock instead. And if a friend asked you for a fish, you wouldn't give him a snake." Christ then says: "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!" Jesus' point in this passage is simply, if humans (who do so much evil) know how to give "good gifts" to those whom they love, God—who IS love (1 John 4:16)—will certainly always give "good gifts" to you and to me.

Jesus' reminder of this truth can help us to remember (in the midst of our personal trials) that even those are allowed to happen to us because God knows exactly what we need to grow and to develop. Like the loving parent who has their child do "hard things" because they know that is the only way they will reach their potential, God always gives "good gifts"—but those may sometimes come packaged in something challenging, so that we can develop into the beings God wants us to be.