What Are We Asking For? What Are We Seeking?
"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
"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, the the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." John 14:13-14
Last week we looked at a few Bible verses that are often misquoted, or rather taken out of context. We dove a little deeper into two in particular (Matt. 7:1, and Phil. 4:13), and we save two for a little spin-off this week. This is the first time I planned ahead to write about something on purpose - let's see where God takes us today!
I think these two verses (Matt. 7:7 and John 14:13) have some similar and some different meanings and contexts behind them. One of the major themes of the Bible seems to be that no matter what we do (actions, words, thoughts, deeds, asks, seeks, knocks, etc...), everything we do should bring God glory. I mean, we know we are all sinners, and so of course the sinful things we do aren't going to point to God...of course, God can still turn our sins into redemption but I'm getting away from today's topics so let me reign it back in. Ha! Or rather let me ASK God to put me back on course...
Matthew Chapter 7, Verse 9 and 10 talk about how a father would not give his son a stone instead of bread or a serpent instead of fish. In other words, an earthly father isn't going to give his son something detrimental when his son has asked for a simple need. This example is important to the context of the "ask...seek...knock" that Jesus spoke about in Verse 7. It is about our needs. Not our selfish wants, not our comforts or our extras. Our needs. Period. There are other parts of the Bible that talk about God blessing us in ways we can't imagine (which are also often taken out of context, but I digress), however that is not what God is telling us about here in Matthew 7.
I have heard it pointed out by many Christians, that know far more about the Bible than I...including my wonderful pastor...the Lord's Prayer, you know the one that He taught us to pray, is very specific in saying, "give us this day our daily bread." Not this week's bread, not this month's bread, just today's. The insight here is that God wants a relationship DAILY with us. He knows our needs, He doesn't need to be told what it is that's on our hearts. But He wants us to come to Him, to talk with Him, to spend time in His presence, just soaking in His love. This equips us, daily, to go out and do the things that He's calling us to, in a way that will bring Him glory.
Oh...and remember when Jesus said, "I am the bread of life," (John 6:48)? Our daily needs include Him! We are asking for our daily bread in more ways than one when we intentionally pray the Lord's Prayer. Yes, we are asking for our earthly needs to be fulfilled, but even more importantly we are asking for our spiritual needs to be fulfilled. We need Jesus daily! Ask for Jesus's presence, in your life, heart, and mind, DAILY. Seek His presence, His fulfillment DAILY, knock on the door to His Word DAILY.
So, yes, Jesus is helping point us to ASK God for our needs, to SEEK God's will in our lives, and to KNOCK on the door to opportunities of bringing God glory - and pointing the world to our God. It's not really about us. Well, it is about our needs, but it's about asking God to fulfill our needs (yup, daily). It's about seeking God's will so that we can obediently walk along His path for our lives. It is also about knocking on His door, the one that leads us to the places where we can bring God glory. So, we can ask, seek, and knock but the part about how it will be given, found, and opened? That's only going to happen when we surrender ourselves fully to God - because then our motives become pure.
I bet you are thinking that I forgot all about John Chapter 14 Verse 13 about now, aren't you? Or maybe you are starting to see how these two sections tie together? Let's take a look at the context preceding this verse... "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." Go ahead and scroll up and reread verses 13-14. Did you reread it? C'mon, go ahead, I'll wait...
"...the works that I do he will do also..." Jesus is saying that all the wonderful things He did to serve us while He was here, we can and will do in His name, to the glory of His Father, and all we have to do is ASK! Well, that, and believe. You didn't miss that part, right? We have to believe Jesus at His Word. We have to believe He is going to do what He said He will do. We have to believe that what we ask, in His name, for God's glory, will happen. We have to believe it ONE HUNDRED PERCENT though. This is not your Sunday school faith, that believes seventy-five percent, but has that twenty-five percent doubt. "Well, He wasn't talking to me," or maybe, "He didn't mean I could do THAT," or perhaps, "I'm sure He was not being literal."
He IS talking to you. He WILL use you to do that. There are a lot of times in the Bible that Jesus spoke in parables. In fact, I have to check but I'm fairly certain nearly all of Jesus's teachings to the many crowds He encountered were all done in parables. However, Chapter 14 of John comes between the outing of Judas Iscariot at the Last Supper and Jesus's prayers then arrest in the Garden. These were some of the last lessons that He bestowed upon His disciples. This is like the coach in the locker room during halftime when the team is down by ten. Our Coach is trying to build us up, before we go back into battle. He is indeed speaking very intentionally to us here - and He means every word.
Ultimately, what I am trying to say this morning is that it is all about God. His promise to us about asking, seeking, knocking, is not about us. It is about bringing Him glory. And do you know what I have learned, over the years but most especially in the past nine months... The more we seek God, the more we knock on His door (read His Word!), then in turn the more our desires become about Him. We WANT His perfect will, above our own; we TRUST His plan is for the good of all His children. As we get closer to God our asks naturally become about Him. And my friends, that is what it is all about. It's not about the hokey pokey...all though it is about turn yourself around, to get right with God.
My challenge to you this week: start each morning with the Lord's Prayer. Think about what it is you are praying for. Really let the words He taught us sink into your soul, and become your true desire...let's start now:
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matt. 6:9b-13)
Comments
Post a Comment