GIVE HIM A SNAKE / LUKE 11:11

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Luke 11:11

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Trusting the Father’s Heart: When Your Prayers Feel Unanswered

We have all been there. You pray fervently for something—a specific job, a restored relationship, a breakthrough in your finances, or physical healing—and the answer feels like a resounding silence. Or worse, it feels like the complete opposite of what you asked for happens. In those moments, it is incredibly easy for doubt to creep in. We start to wonder: Does God even hear me? Is He withholding good things from me?

When our circumstances get dark, our understanding of God’s character can get cloudy. But Jesus addresses this exact heartache with a powerful, comforting analogy in the Gospel of Luke.

The Promise of the Fish and the Serpent

In Luke 11:11, Jesus asks a simple, rhetorical question to the crowd surrounding Him:

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?” (Luke 11:11)

Think about the absurdity of that imagery. A hungry child comes to his father asking for a fish—a basic, nourishing staple of their daily diet. No earthly parent, even a deeply flawed one, would smile and hand that child a venomous, striking snake. It goes against the very fabric of parental love and protection.

Jesus uses this extreme contrast to make a point about our Heavenly Father. If human parents, who are naturally imperfect and broken, instinctively know how to protect and provide for their children, how much more will our perfect Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him?

When We Accidentally Ask for Snakes

Here is a perspective that changes everything: sometimes, in our limited human understanding, we are the ones asking for the snake, thinking it’s a fish.

We see a career path that looks spectacular, but God sees the spiritual shipwreck it will cause. We beg for a relationship that feels right, but God sees the hidden heartbreak down the road. Because God loves us too much to harm us, He refuses to give us the harmful things we accidentally plead for (More Than Sunday Mornings).

When God says “no” or “not yet,” it is never out of cruelty. He will never answer your prayer with something that is spiritually destructive to your soul (More Than Sunday Mornings). If He closed a door, it is because He is protecting you from a serpent you couldn’t see.

The Ultimate Gift

Jesus wraps up this teaching with a beautiful reminder of what God’s ultimate provision looks like. He doesn’t just promise to satisfy our temporary worldly appetites. He promises something infinitely better:

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

The greatest gift God can give you in the midst of your trial isn’t just a change in your circumstances—it is Himself (Luke 11:11-13). Through the Holy Spirit, He gives us peace that surpasses understanding, comfort in our grief, wisdom for our decisions, and the absolute assurance that we are never walking alone (Luke 11:11-13).

You can rest easy today. You can keep asking, seeking, and knocking (Luke 11:9). Trust the Father’s heart. He is holding back the snakes, and He is preparing a table of good things for you.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being a good, loving, and trustworthy Dad. Forgive me for the times I have doubted Your goodness or questioned Your silence. When life is confusing and my prayers don’t seem to be answered the way I want, remind me of Your character. Thank You for protecting me from the hidden dangers I cannot see, and for withholding the things that would ultimately harm me.

I ask today for a fresh filling of Your Holy Spirit. Give me the peace to surrender my desires to Your perfect timing. I trust that Your plans for me are good, full of hope, and full of a future. Anchor my heart in Your love today.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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