Feb 07, 2011 Communion With God: Asking, Seeking, and Knocking
Originally posted on September 9, 2004
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”Matthew 7:7-8
If you develop the regular pattern of communion with God, you will find yourself asking Him for things. You will naturally want to seek God for guidance. You will feel like you are knocking on a door, waiting for God to open the door and let you in.
Jesus has invited us to do just that. He said to ask, seek, and knock. This is what we do when we face the realities of finances, relationships, decisions, and health needs. We are not to feel badly for asking of God. In fact, not asking shows a great deal of pride and self-reliance. Not seeking from God is a clear sign that we have forgotten about Him.
When you are asking, seeking, and knocking, there are two things you need to keep in mind that will help you build patience and fight discouragement.
First, God is the end of your asking, seeking, and knocking. Yes, we ask for things we need, but God is our greatest need. We seek direction, support, and strength, but God said that if we seek Him, we would find Him. When we knock, the door opens to God Himself and to deeper fellowship with Him.
Knowing that God is our great need keeps us from fixating on the things for which we are asking, seeking, and knocking. So what if we get what we want, if we miss God we miss everything.
This is not to say that what we need is unimportant. Needs are real and important. That’s why we have to remember the second thing: God is the best judge of what we really need. Jesus said God is our Father and He knows how to give what is good to those who ask (Matthew 7:11).
This morning, as I was praying, I thought about things that I had asked God for and didn’t get. One way of looking at this is to say that my prayers are weak and ineffective. That may be the case, but that doesn’t help because I am praying the best I know how. The other way to look at my “unanswered” prayers is to see that my heavenly Father knew what was best for me, and answered differently, or not at all, based on His knowledge. The good in my praying then was that in asking, seeking, knocking, I found God and He gave me (or will give me in the future) what He knew was good for me. This keeps me coming back.
Our faith is in a Father who has made two promises. First, when we ask, seek, and knock, He will be the answer given, the treasure found, and the open door. Second, whatever He gives in response to our prayers will be His good provision to make us more like Christ (Romans 8: 28-29).
Pastor Scott