Ask Seek Knock

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

ASK, SEEK, KNOCK

Matt 7:7-12

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; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

NIV

Perhaps we should have just dealt with verse 7 and 8 alone for there is plenty in this statement of Jesus which needs to be deeply embedded in our hearts. Three words, ask, seek and knock which has so much meaning. We could see this in respect to salvation, as we do need to ask God for it and we do in a sense need to seek salvation and there is some reference to the words spoken in the revelation to John about him standing at the door, and if we hear is voice and open the door, he will come in.

Rev 3:19-20

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

NIV

But these words were spoken to be recorded and sent to the church. Jesus was speaking to the believers and thus he was doing the knocking at the door. So we might think these words about ask, seek and knock are also spoken for the benefit of believers. Although this sermon on the mount was a teaching to all who were following after him, looking to him for healing, for freedom from Rome, perhaps seeing him as the awaited Messiah. Yet these words are also spoken for the ages to come, which means they were spoken to us. How many non-believers read these words and ponder on them in order to see they need to ask God, seek his salvation, and earnestly knock at the gates of heaven for it. No, it would make more sense these words were for the believer to garner the truth.

1 John 5:13-15

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.

NIV

This is the proof in the pudding, so to speak. In order to know for certain that we have eternal life, that Jesus Christ is real and that he was born, lived, died on the cross, was buried and rose from the grave and ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, we can ask anything according to his will and he hears us and he will give us what we ask for. Ask, seek and knock. Believing in Jesus is good, but asking and receiving is simply icing on the cake. We do not have to live this life in want, if we but ask, seek and knock. This is not a flippantly asking, but this is an earnest asking, a seeking for his will, and a knocking with meaning. If we just tap on the door of heaven, it may not mean we really mean it, or believe it. But the truth is Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock. He goes on to explain for us how we as parents, although we are not pure like God, but have evil within us, still give good things to our children. This is how God is with us. God will give good gifts to those of us who ask him. Now we could also see these gifts as the gifts of the Spirit, which we believers surely are in need of. How can we live a successful Christian life without the gifts of the Spirit? It would be like being a crippled Christian living life lame, unable to walk the talk. This does not mean we are completely without sin, as Jesus makes it clear, we who are evil give good gifts to our children, but it does mean that as we try to live a life pleasing to God, even though we fail, he never fails and if we ask, seek and knock he will give to us whatever we ask for. If we seek the truth, we will find it, and if we ask for the door to be opened it will. This again could imply the door to heaven, or salvation. It could be seen as that as well, but again these words are written to believers, so let us believe with confidence. God  is waiting to hear us ask, seek and knock.