Daily Archive

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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!” (Matthew 7:7-11).

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus has already called us to not being anxious over daily provision because He provides for His children’s necessities. So what is He referencing here? Surely we are to approach our King boldly with our needs (Hebrews 4:6) because He is the great Provider.  How many of us are truly lacking for what we need (not what we want – our society confuses the two)? James addresses this issue: James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”.  It is crystal clear that God’s word commands us to ask for His provision.  Even Jesus’ model prayer states, “give us this day our daily bread” indicating that we should pray daily for our daily needs (Matthew 6:11).  What then is Jesus suggesting here when He states that we should ask, seek, and knock. In other words, the issue is what should we ask, seek, and knock for?

Our human tendency is to seek after and ask for and the tangible and temporary – the things of this life as opposed to the greater spiritual treasures of intimacy with Christ and the eternal provisions of His Kingdom. Yet Jesus as already dictated that His Kingdom followers, “… seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). He also has discussed a litany of divine blessings that are gifts that given to those who follow him and pursue His Kingdom. But is that what we are inclined to ask for and seek after? The things that we typically tend to ask for – the comforts, success, convenience, pleasures, and pain-free existence of this earthly journey (that even unbelievers long for) – do not truly satisfy our spiritual hunger and thirst (Matthew 5:6)? So, in this context, what should we be asking for? What should we be seeking after?

This passage is clear that, as our Father, He doesn’t desire to give His children just good things. I would contend that He wants to give us the best things of His Kingdom. Even evil people desire to provide and give good things to their children. God, being a holy, caring, and generous Father is even more capable of giving the best gifts to His children – those things we should desire (or ask and seek for). Given His beneficence toward His children, this begs the question, “do we ask within this context of God’s best for us”? In other words, are we asking, seeking, and knocking after God’s greatest gifts? Or are we selfishly seeking after that which is a poor facsimile of what God really wants for us? Could it be that the gifts that we ask for are good, but not really the Kingdom’s best for us?  Could it be our fleshly selfishness keeps us from truly receiving that which we most need?  Again James comments succinctly in 4:3, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures”.

You see, the broader context of “ask, seek and find” is authentic spiritual vitality through true communion with our King and the full experience of His Kingdom within us.  The idea is what we really need is to ask for and seek after is Him and we really need knock on the door that will open to real fellowship with a holy God.  Again, that’s why Jesus said previously, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness”. So, could the underlying message be that the greatest gift given by our Father the King is Himself and His Kingdom? And could this passage be loosely interpreted,  “Ask for Him and He will come to you…seek after Him and you will find Him in all of His beauty… knock on the door and that is Jesus (John 10:7) and He will let you in to a feast of unimaginable fellowship with Himself (Revelation 3:20).  When we seek after the best and perfect gift, Him, we find the real Treasure.  May God change the desires of our heart and thus change our asking, seeking and knocking.  May we be aroused with a passion for Him and His Kingdom that overshadows all of our temporal “wants”. May our fleshly requests be replaced by the hunger and thirst for Him and His Kingdom righteousness that He promises to fill.

As our King and our Father, He stands ready to give us those gifts that are far superior to the “good” gifts we so often seek. When we seek after Him and His righteousness we receive the greatest treasure of all – a fuller and richer experience of Him and His Kingdom.