Matthew 7:7-12
Ask—it shall be given to you
Seek—and you shall find
Knock—it shall be open unto you
To be persistent in pursuing the things of God, our efforts should never be half-hearted. Living a life for God takes constant effort, faith and focus. If our first few attempts fail, we have to keep pursuing even harder. To be consistent in our efforts we have to keep asking, seeking, and knocking to hear and receive from God.
Ask and it shall be given unto you…
God knows everything that we want or need. He is the all-knowing God the one that supplies our every need. Not because He knows what you need does not mean you should not ask. Asking is having the confidence to know that what we ask for God will grant it unto us. If He should give everything without us asking, then there is a possibility that we will not recognize that He is the one that supplies that need. Asking is not for Him, but rather for us so that we will know the reason for us having it in the first place it’s because of His faithfulness. We will recognize that it wasn’t through our strength, therefore acknowledging Him and giving Him the glory for granting our requests. Asking is not only for our benefit, but it is for the benefit of others as well. There is not only me, myself, and I in prayer; it’s about us, we, they, them, and ours…There are times when we have to be personal, but never to the point where that’s all we do and make it self-centered. In our asking, we have to bring the needs of others before God; making petitions on behalf of others and not ourselves only.
Seek and you shall find…
Have you ever misplaced your cell phone, car keys, or some other belongings? Do you just sit around hoping that the item will turn up, or do you search until you have recovered the lost item? Likewise, God wants us to seek Him intentionally. “To seek” is the Greek word “zeteo” which means to seek after, seek for, require, or to seek (to find).
Seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you Matthew 6:33
God wants us to put Him first, His will, His desires, to obey His commands, and to make Him the center of our lives. If we seek God with our whole hearts, we will find Him. He is not lost; He just wants you to know how important He is in our lives. Do you put material things before Him or is He first before everything and everyone else? Do you give Him the first of your day, or whatever you can scrape up after exhausting yourself?
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while He is near Isaiah 55:6.
Knock and it shall be open unto you…
God wants us to knock at the door of the throne of grace; just as how He knocks at our heart’s door for us to let Him in. He will not shut the door in your face but will welcome you with open arms. He will not tell you to come back at a more convenient time when He is not busy. He is never too busy to hear our cries. He is never too busy to hear our call, He is never too busy to calm the storms in our lives. He wants us to knock so we can visit with Him; not only when we feel like it, on some special occasion, or when things not looking so bright for us. He wants to have a constant conversation with us, He wants us to visit Him because we love Him and want to build a relationship with Him. When you’re in constant fellowship and converse with God daily; you not only strengthen your relationship with Him, but you will no longer be a stranger, but His child and a friend of His.
Are you asking the right person for the right things, are you seeking after God, or after worldly affairs, are you knocking on the right door for salvation and eternal life or the temporary satisfaction of the world?
Choose this day whom he will serve Joshua 24:15.
God wants our undivided attention. He wants us to build a strong relationship with Him. He does not want us to do it out of convenience, but out of the need we have toward having Him in our lives. He is not a God to force anything on us, that’s why it has to be through our love and desire for Him. Make God the most important person in your life because He is. If you struggle with doing so ask God for the help and the strength to do so. Also, ask other believers for prayers for we are to help lift each other in faith through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear God in heaven, thank you that you are a merciful and loving God who will not turn your back on your children; your children who seek you with all their hearts, who love you unconditionally, not only when it’s convenient. Help us not be a stranger to you but to know you as our Father who loves and cares for us. We need you to be the priority in our lives so that all other things will become secondary. Lord thank you for all you have done for us and me we continue to ask, seek, and knock so we are never far away from you. In Jesus’ name.
Amen!
