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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which of you, if your 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!
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:7-12
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There is a beautiful promise offered to the followers of Christ in the Bible. It is a verse we commonly cite:
“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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.“
Indeed, it is a beautiful promise from God. One in which we should base our hope and faith upon.
But I can’t help but notice this is a conditional promise. The offer included of the work that God will do on our behalf is based on the actions that we take as followers of Him.
There are some things not given to us… until we ask.
There are some things not found… until we seek.
There are some doors not opened… until we knock.
Our actions bring about these gifts from God.
We ask—in prayer. Going to God specifically with both our hearts and voices. And if we are not spending time in prayer, we will miss all that God desires to give us.
We seek—with our lives. There are many things we can seek in this life: money, possessions, reputation, leisure, happiness, comfort (just to name a few). But only those who choose to set aside the pursuit of worldly offerings, and seek God instead, will find all that He is.
We knock—with our hands and our actions. To see the door opened, we take steps toward God’s kingdom. This is more than intellectually believing in God or asking Him for things, this is putting our belief into practice—in a world that is not. Only those who knock on the door of God, will find it opened for them.
These verses are a beautiful promise. But they are not an unconditional promise that all followers of Christ will receive. They compel us toward righteous living—to live set apart from the world.
For those who do, promises of eternal worth await.
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Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your unconditional love. Help me to pursue you and a life set apart. May I ask in prayer, seek your word, and knock on your door to live a righteous life. Amen.