Ask, Seek, Knock

Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV)

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!

Jesus told us this in Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Unfortunately, we tend to take this verse and make it something that it’s not. He gives us good gifts, of course; but what we think are ‘good gifts’ and what God knows are ‘good gifts’ are two different things! I’m sure you’ve wished for these things: “I want a brand new sports car!”, “I want to date that cute kid at school”, or “I want a million dollars!”. Please hear me out on this, it’s so important: GOD IS NOT A GENIE IN THE LAMP! He doesn’t just grant whatever you want, because not all the things you want are truly good.

But if you remain faithful to God and keep reading His Word, it’s going to change what you ask for. If you’re seeking God’s will, you’re going to ask for tools to further His kingdom. These are the types of good gifts God will equip you with!

Jesus lived a selfless life; not only did He come to earth to show us His love, but He also died for us so that we could be with Him in Heaven! Before asking God to bless us in different ways, be thankful that he’s already blessed us through Jesus! If Jesus lived a selfless life, then we should too. Today, ask God to bless you in ways that will serve others and glorify God in a mighty way!

Dear Lord, we pray that you help us be more like You. You were selfless, and only desired to further Your kingdom. We pray that the things we are asking for will help equip us to further Your kingdom. In the Name of Jesus,  Amen.

Seek ye first

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Roger Babson, a famous statistician was having lunch with the President of Argentina, "Mr. Babson," the President said, "I have been wondering why it is that South America, with all its natural advantages, mines of iron, copper, coal and silver, rivers and great waterfalls is so far behind North America?" Babson replied, "Well, Mr. President, what do you think is the reason?" He answered, "..South America was founded by the Spanish who came in search of gold. North America was founded by the Pilgrims who went there in search of God."

If we live a life of seeking gold -- the blessings of God but not God Himself -- we end up losing both. The Pilgrims, who gave us the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving, came in search of God. It is because of this that America has reaped blessing upon blessing. We need to examine ourselves and be careful that we are seeking God in all things, putting Him first and giving thanks to Him always.

Seek first the kingdom of God and He will surely provide from His riches in glory.

Dear Lord, help us to seek after You in all things. Help us be careful not to be focused on You and thanking You for what You have given to us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Ask, Seek, Knock

Matthew 7:7 (NIV) 

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

The Maori people of New Zealand had a well-kept secret: The Waitomo Caves. However, there comes a time that every secret is revealed, and it so happened that in 1887, Chief Tane Tinorau felt compelled to share this secret with Fred Mace, a British surveyor

Using a raft consisting of flax stems, the two of them floated into the cave via the Waitomo River. Candles were their only form of light, and although many consider candle lighting to be exotic, it was only enough to give a brief reflection of everything there was to see. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they discerned numerous glow-worms around them, and they were totally in awe. They had arrived in a surreal world surrounded by insect-made light, lights that served to brighten the entire cave. It was as if they had stepped into another world where beauty reigned supreme.

They couldn't help but return many times to admire these creatures. Eventually all other access points to the caves were discovered, along with beautiful limestone formations. Had the caves been kept a secret, none of these would have ever been exposed!

We all have secrets as well. The worst ones are those we keep hidden away in our hearts when God appears to not be answering our prayers. Rather than turning to God to find out why our prayers weren't answered, we accuse Him of not taking care of us. We accuse Him of not hearing us. We accuse Him of not seeing our needs as important in His eyes. And so we go on, day in and day out, frustrated, discouraged, and at times, even angry at God, with our "secret" firmly clutched in our hearts.

Let's put this into perspective. What do we generally do when we don't understand someone or something? Imagine taking a class of some sort, discovering, for example, the binary codes that control your computer, an interesting subject to the many of us! Sooner or later we will come face to face with the fact that we simply cannot understand some aspects of the course! And we come away thoroughly confused. What do we do in those times? Do we continue to take the class and pretend we have a good handle of the subject? Wouldn't it be better to ask the teacher, the expert, for help?

And what if our paycheck is smaller than ever? Will we remain quiet and keep our frustrations inside? Of course not! We will ask our employer about it! And if our child comes back home with a bad grade, we don't ignore it, we ask questions! And if our spouse comes back home grim-faced after a doctor's visit, we don't just assume he or she will get over it, we ask how the visit went!

It is no different with God. When God is silent, it is His invitation for us to go directly to Him and ask Him to show us the situation from His perspective! Isn't this what David did? "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" (Ps 22:1, NIV2) And weren't these Jesus' words as well, uttered from the top of a cruel Roman cross (See Matthew 27:46)?

God urges us to come to Him, especially when He is silent. His silence is His invitation for us to approach Him, to get even closer to Him: "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (Jer 33:3, NIV2)

When we approach God about His silence, He will answer us. When He is assured that we are ready to hear things from His perspective, He will show us how He sees our situations. When we are ready to follow God's will, He will show us what that will is, and we will fall on our knees in thanksgiving that He cares so much for us. The end result will be that the entire experience will draw us closer to God, the ultimate goal of any of His followers! When God becomes the prime subject of our requests, it's a win-win situation! We realize then and there that we are in His hands, the best place to be! And isn't this far better than the healing we prayed for? Isn't this better that the new job we have been pleading for?

The Waitomo caves are awesome, but they are truly only a shadow compared to the splendor of our Heavenly Father!

Dear Lord, thank You that we can come into Your presence when we are in need and that You are always willing to hear our plea. Thank You for holding us up and for giving us opportunities to draw us closer to You than ever before. In Jesus' name. Amen.

A.S.K.

Ask! So often we're afraid to ask for help because we have to admit we don't have the answers.

Seek! Effort and interest and perseverance are necessary and that's sometimes hard.

Knock! In an era of doorbells, this is a forgotten action.

But God wants us to use the A.S.K. principle and bring our hearts before him. So let's don't just whine, complain, desire, and want. Let's A.S.K. our Father and seek his glory.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

— Matthew 7:7-8

Dear Lord, We am sorry that so often you only hear our whines and complaints and concerns. You have been so generous with your love. Help us to keep our heart set on you and your will today as we ask you to minister to the things on our heart. In Jesus name. Amen.

Seek the Lord in everything

While even the mighty hunter the the Lion cannot ensure their security and nourishment, those whose hunger is for God will find themselves nourished, blessed, and sustained.

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
— Psalm 34:10

Dear Lord thanks for the promise that you will never leave us or forsake us even though friends may betray and forsake us. We confess that it is sometimes hard to fully comprehend, much less believe, that you are always faithful. Confusing and hurtful times come and we waver in our confidence in your grace. Please forgive us and renew our hope. We do believe, that you love us like no one else can. We do believe that you care about our hurts and worries. . In Jesus' name. Amen.