It’s a common occurrence when someone is interested in what God can do for them to improve their life that they will start to pray or seek Him in a way in which they are looking for answers or solutions to their current problem.
Every human being is seeking to improve their life and find more satisfaction and success. This is a fundamental component of human nature.
We are all looking for love and relief from suffering.
In this article I want to briefly discuss the process of seeking and finding answers as well as getting doors opened. This is an important process to understand because inevitably we will all find ourselves trying to figure out what to do next in our life in certain situations and which solutions and decisions are the best for us.
Jesus Teaches About Asking, Seeking, and Knocking
The scripture passage I want to lay as the foundation for this article is from Matthew 7:7-12.
This is a passage where Jesus is teaching about asking, seeking, and knocking and it offers a lot of insight into this process of finding a solution or answer to something in our lives.
Ask, Seek, Knock
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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your 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.
Let’s break down this teaching a bit.
First, it talks about how if we ask for something it will be given to us. If we seek something we will find it. And if we knock on a door it will be opened to us.
This is good news. Jesus is telling us that God will give us a good gift if we ask or seek it.
Next, it talks about the specifics of the asking and receiving.
Which of you if your son asks for bread will give him a stone. It is saying that if our kid asked us for something good, we would give them something good, not something bad.
We can also assume that the inverse is true. If our kid asks for something that is bad for them we will still give them something that is good for them instead of bad since they may not be able to understand what is actually good and bad for them.
The kid can definitely reject or ignore the good gift if they don’t want it.
It then says that if we are able to give good gifts to our children even despite having a tendency for evil and a lack of understanding at times, then considering that God knows everything, He will definitely give us a good gift.
God will give us a good gift. That is certain. It’s up to us if we will actually be open to and receive the gift He wants to give us.
It then ends by saying that we should do to others what we would want them to do for us.
Below I will go into detail about the specific points to consider in this teaching so that we can get more answers, solutions, and doors opened for us in our lives.
1. Jesus Says God Will Give us a Good Gift if We Ask
The first major point to consider is that Jesus says in this passage that God will give us a good gift if we ask, seek, or knock.
That’s good news. We can count on God giving us a good gift.
What it doesn’t say is that we can count on God giving us exactly what we ask for. We can be certain God loves us and will give us a good gift but it will be something that God knows is good and not necessarily something that we perceive as good.
So what I’m getting out of this part is that we should be persistent and bold in our asking, seeking, and knocking but that we should keep an open and surrendered mind to the actual specific gift that God wants to give us.
If we are persistent and bold in our asking but are close minded and selfish on what we actually want to receive it’s quite possible we could miss the gift God is giving us all together because we are focused on something that he doesn’t think is good for us.
So be bold and persistent in your asking, seeking, and knocking but have the humility and surrendered heart to be open to God giving or showing you something that is outside of what you think is best.
This requires a faith in God that God knows better than we do what is best for us.
The other thing to consider is it’s very possible that God will give you a good gift that you want if what you want is aligned with what God thinks is good for you.
2. There Are Different Steps in The Process of Receiving a Gift
This passage talks about asking, seeking, and knocking. Those are all different ways and steps of trying to get something.
This is showing us that however we seek a solution or answer to a problem is the way in which it will be given to us.
When we ask for something, it will be given to us. Asking=Giving
When we seek something, we will find it. Seeking=Finding
When we knock, the door will be opened. Knocking=Opening
This is important to consider because we have to be specific and focused in the way in which we are looking for a solution or answer and in how we proceed to fully step into this gift that God can give us.
Take the following example:
At first, if we just need an answer we will ask. Most likely in an honest prayer.
At some point, we will get an answer which will lead us forward.
Once we get that answer we might then go seek it out or do more in depth research or analysis on that answer to find the specific solution.
Lastly, in order to move into living out that solution and obtaining the gift, we will need to actually go and knock on the door that will open up that new solution or path in our life.
3. God Will Give us a Good Gift But Not Necessarily What We Want
Another really important thing to consider is that God will give us a good gift in relation to what we are asking for but it may be different than what we want. Or maybe it will be what we want.
This is because God knows everything. He knows what is ultimately best for us and loves us. But sometimes we don’t even know what is best for us or are seeking something that is not going to be good for us.
This is why I think it’s important to ask for something but then keep an open mind to receiving the answer or solution.
If we are asking for something that is going to ultimately harm us or make our life bad, then God is not going to give that to us.
The key thing to consider here is asking for things that we believe are of God’s will. If we ask for things that are in line with God’s will he will give them to us. And if we aren’t sure what the best gift is, maybe it makes sense to ask in a way that lays out what we are thinking but then keeps things open to a new answer from God.
Taking the position of “this is what I’m thinking God and these are the things I really want but I’m open to what you want to give me so please help me find the best solution here.”
4. This Teaching Also Applies to Finding God
Besides finding specific answers and solutions this teaching also applies to finding God.
God will reveal Himself and His spirit in some way if we truly persist in asking, seeking, and knocking on His door.
If we consistently seek God with a sincere heart, God will speak to us and open the door to Himself over time.
The key is having a sincere and open heart towards the possibility to know God and encounter His presence. If we are asking but are still closed off to believing the possibility that He will show us something then we are asking while keeping the door locked ourselves.
And ultimately, whether we are seeking a specific solution or just to know God in general then we are ultimately just seeking God because God is everything we want.
God fulfills all of our longings in Himself.
5. Do To Others What You Would Have Them Do To You
I like how Jesus ends this teaching by saying to do to others what you would have them do to you.
This is the golden rule and He says it fulfills the Law and the Prophets, meaning if we just do this everything will be fulfilled and God will be revealed to us.
So, if we are still unsure of what solution is best or what we should do in our lives regarding something specific, yes we still ask, seek, and knock, but we should then just focus on serving and doing to others what we would want done to us because in this action all things will be revealed to us over time about God and about what is best for us.
Conclusion
I’ve always really loved the passage where Jesus speaks about asking, seeking, and knocking because it contains so much wisdom in both how we find God as well as how we can find answers and solutions to our problems in life through prayer and listening.
Like all scripture I’m sure this passage and teaching will evolve over time as my life changes and I see things from a new perspective. I hope that you will continue to ask, seek, and knock with God so that good gifts and solutions are revealed to you through time.
