Seeds for 06/23/2023 - Matthew 7:7-8
Scripture: 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Observation: Actions produce results. At least we hope that’s true. One reason we don’t take action is that we’re afraid we won’t get the results we desire.
Jesus gives us three straightforward actions: ask, seek, knock. These are accompanied by three plain spoken promises: it will be given to you, you will find, the door will be opened to you.
How shall we read these? Is this an invitation to prayer, such that whatever we ask we will receive and so forth? Also, do we make an assumption that the results of receiving, finding, and open doors will be immediate, or at least within what we would deem a reasonable amount of time?
What would we ask for anyway?
In 1 Kings 3, Solomon finds himself getting established after having received the throne of his father David. God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon, seeing what he needed most in order to lead well and faithfully, asked for wisdom: “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
God was so pleased with this request—asking for wisdom clearly indicated that he had some already, that He granted Solomon his request for wisdom, plus wealth and honor to boot. The doors of God’s generous provision were flung open by a request that served Solomon’s calling.
I completely believe that we have permission to ask whatever we want of God. I don’t, however, read these two verses as a blank check. I read them with the whole of scripture. Paul famously asked three times that a “thorn in the flesh” might be taken from Him, only to have God leave it in place and teach him that “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul desired God more than he desired his healing and received what his heart valued most. Perhaps Jesus wants to point us to the sort of asking, seeking, and knocking that grow our maturity and advance His kingdom. After all, Jesus gave us the priority just a little earlier in the Sermon on the Mount. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things [basic needs of the body] will be given you as well.”
Finally, Jesus speaks in the book of Revelation about knocking on a door. Only we aren’t doing the knocking, He is. Ours is to open the door of our hearts to Him and welcome.
So, let’s definitely ask, seek, and knock. And let’s not forget to ask for what He most wants to give, seek first things first and enjoy second things when He gives them, and knock on the right door.
Application:
What do you need to ask and seek God for that will help you grow your faith and trust in Him?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, give me a heart to look to you and your strength, and to seek your face always. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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