Ask, Seek, Knock
Friday, September 4, 2009
by Dr. Paul Chappell
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8
God desires that you would petition Him directly with your needs.
If you were an avid baseball fan of the 50s and 60s, the name Bobby Richardson would be familiar to you. A right-handed pitcher for the Yankees, Bobby was a vital part of the Yankees' dynasty of his day. He had a lifetime batting average of over .250 and was the recipient of numerous awards, including the following: seven All-Star selections, five Golden Gloves, three World Series rings, the 1960 World Series MVP, and the 1963 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. But among his many awards and numerous associations was his membership in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. At one of their banquets, Richardson stood and offered the following prayer, "Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen."
Too often public prayers are expected to be formal petitions to a heavenly being sprinkled with complex words. But as Richardson showed, all that matters in a prayer is the heart behind it. Bobby's prayer of eleven words for God's will to be done meant more than a drawn out prayer of one hundred words.
Sadly, prayer has become complex to many people, even Christians. Prayer isn't about the words spoken or the composition of the petition; it is about the faith in the heart of the one who prays. It's not about rhetoric but about faith.
Jesus knew of the well-structured prayers the Pharisees offered at the temple, yet He wanted the people to realize that in order to seek His help, all they needed was a heart of faith and sincerity. Notice the plain language Christ uses to tell His followers how to petition Him, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7).
Jesus said, "Ask Me anything, and I will answer you. Seek Me and come to Me with your requests." No longer do we have to offer burnt sacrifices to God or petition Him through a priest; we can meet directly with God and bring our requests to Him.
God wants to hear your requests. Contrary to what some people believe, God has not left the world to run on its own. God is still in control and desires to personally hear from you. In fact, God tells you to seek Him. He desires that you would seek His help and allow Him to answer your requests.
When was the last time you needed groceries and visited a department store to purchase them? What about trying to get gasoline from a fast food restaurant? It doesn't make sense! You go to the gas station for gas, and visit the grocery store for groceries. So then why wouldn't you seek God, the Creator and Provider, for your needs? God says to ask Him and He will answer you.
What need do you have right now? Think about what problem you need solved, direction you need pointed out, need you must have met. Rather than seeking your own guidance or provision, obey God's command and ask Him for help. Seek Him for your needs because He promises to answer you according to His will and open the door to His blessings.
