Life under Heaven
Despite life's pain and perplexity, we know God has somehow interwoven it with divine promises. Life under Heaven means that despite life’s pain and perplexity, we know God has somehow interwoven it with divine order.
We may not understand that divine order, but we know God is sovereign, completely wise, and has a master plan that works every event for His glory and our good.
“Ask and it will be given to you; Seek and you will find; Knock and the door will be opened to you”
“Seek His way… so that you can walk it out!”
…and Not just spout it out!!!
Asking, Seeking, and Knocking, are intended to mean a continuous act, as opposed to a one-time act:
ASK, (and keep asking), and it will be given you. SEEK, (and keep seeking), and you will find. KNOCK, (and keep knocking) and the door will be opened for you.
Jesus is not saying that believers always get what they ask for—wrong motives, for example, will hinder answers to prayer. He went on to say, “Seek, and you will find”
What is it believers ought to be seeking? IT IS GOD HIMSELF!
His heart’s desire is for us to persistently and passionately look for Him all around us, and when we do, He promises He will be found.
SEEKING, is a matter of paying attention with an engaged mind and acute awareness.
Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to:
Seek ye first, the Kingdom of God, (His sovereignty, His rule) and His righteousness, and all these “things” will be added to you.
Seeking God’s kingdom means putting God’s plan before our own; seeking His righteousness (not the self-righteousness of the world), and means setting a priority on personal holiness and desiring to be set apart for Him to use you—not in bowing to the desires of our flesh, or to devilish influences.
Jesus then said, “Knock and the door will be opened to you”. He uses a metaphor for the action your desire must produce.
Under heaven, if a person needs something from someone behind a door, the most natural thing to do is knock—and keep knocking until the door is opened and the desire is met. In the same way, a believer should pray in faith for God’s provision and be persistent in asking.
Ask…Seek…Knock. Notice the three different senses being considered here. Asking is verbal; we are to use our mouths and petition God for our needs and desires. Believers are to Seek—this is more than asking; it is a setting of priorities and a focusing of our heart. Knocking involves physical movement, one in which we take action. Although asking and seeking are of great importance, they would be incomplete without knocking. We are told to not love in word alone, but with actions also.
The commands are then followed by these promises:
“Everyone who Asks receives; the one who Seeks finds; and to the one who Knocks, the door will be opened”