Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus said “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.”
What do you do when you really want something?
When we really want something, what do we do? For a minute let’s put aside the issue of whether what we want is good or not. Depending on what it is, we either ask someone for it, or we do all we can to get it ourselves…or probably a combination of both. It’s unlikely that if we really want something we will do nothing about it. Well it’s the same with our relationship with God. How much we want to be with God will be reflected by how much effort we put in seeking Him. To say we love God and have faith in Christ, but do nothing about it, is to mock Him. We give ourselves a false sense of security that we are right with God when really we are robbing ourselves and God of the intimate relationship He wants with us. We need to take our relationship with God seriously and draw close to Him.
If we want something from God we need to persistently ask
We find out how faithful God is when we draw close to him. I think back over the tough times in my life and remember how God worked in every situation to mature and build me up. He has always given what I need to follow Him. He has never let me down. His love inspires me! God has taught me that to gain wisdom, understanding and a sense of what He wants for me, I have to seek it, even when things seem extremely cloudy and confusing. I have to knock on the door and be prepared to walk in when the door is opened… or walk away when, for whatever reason, the door is kept closed.
God wants us to learn to be both persistent and patient when seeking Him. By doing both, our faith will develop, along with our wisdom and understanding of how God ticks and what He has for us (Proverbs 2:6). We are acting immaturely if we expect God to spoon feed us. He desires us to seek Him; to be clear, honest and specific with what we want… and then ask Him. God is faithful. He will give us what we need, even if it’s not what we ask for at times. For God knows what’s best. By honestly assessing our motives and evaluating our thoughts with what God has taught us to be right, we normally have a good idea whether or not what we are asking for compliments God’s will for us. As we mature in this way, we begin to ask God more for what He wants to give us.
Not only ask, but believe God WILL answer
Now it’s one thing to ask God, buts it’s another thing to believe that He will answer. I find this the real challenge. At times I tend to pray and not earnestly believe that God will answer or even be able to. This reflects a lack of faith. Maybe some unanswered prayer is simply God waiting for us to earnestly seek Him, believing He will answer. It’s so easy to go through the motions with prayer and not approach God sincerely with all our heart. If we allow this to continue we will lead a very shallow Christian life and not reap the incredible blessings of experiencing God transform our lives and those around us!
Reflection
Are you asking God to be a part of your life, or do you just say it?
Do you seek God with all your heart, or do you just recite some fancy words and go through the motions of prayer?
How does your desire to seek God reflect your commitment to Jesus?
Those of us who choose to follow God obediently will soon discover that life will bring many challenges and sacrifices that we wouldn’t have had to endure if we chose to go our own way. However, it is only on this path that we have the privilege and incredible comfort of knowing that God walks with us, always being ready to answer our prayers and give us what we need to experience a life of conquered trials and fulfilled purposes through an enriching relationship with Him.
Now isn’t that something worth seeking for with all our heart?
0 Comments