Have you asked?

Matthew 7:8

"For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Have you ever gone to see a friend, stand at his front door, did not ring the bell or knock on the door, but expected him to let you in? Of course not, how would he know you were there unless you rang the bell or knocked or something? Ever try and find your car keys by not seeking? "They will turn up, I know it, guess I will walk to work until then." How about when your eating out, the waiter comes over ask what you will be having tonight, and you respond," I don't know, surprise me". (Never a good choice, because it isn't a choice, you didn't ask.) How silly these three things are, if we don't ASK, SEEK, or KNOCK, how will we get anything from God? Yes, He can read our thoughts, but He will not supply unless we ask. He wants us to realize that HE is the source of all need and want.

Now, look at the above scripture: "For everyone who.........................receives..............finds...................it will be opened." Those are the responses God has for our: "Asking........seeking...................and knocking"

Ever been in the hospital? Not a fun experience. But the nurse always says something like: "If you need anything, just push the button" as they leave the room. You have some pain and you can't sleep? You have to push the call button to let the nurses know you need something. You want some more orange juice with your breakfast, push the call button.....You have to ask before you can receive. On a airplane, I believe they still have call buttons, haven't flown in a ling time, they may cost extra these days. But there used to be a call button to summon the flight attendant that you needed something. Want another pillow, push the call button. My point is: You have to ask.

I know, many of us grow up in church, thinking that this all knowing, all caring, all loving God doesn't need for us to ask for things we need. He knows everything, so why do we have to ask for them. If He really loves us He will take care of us without us asking, right? Yes, He does know everything, BUT as our father, He wants us to ask, because when we do this, we show everyone who we depend upon for our lives. As an infant we are taken care of by our parents, everything we need is given to us. A parent does not change their baby's diaper because they did not ask for it to be changed, you know when a new diaper is needed. A 12 year old doesn't have to ask for new school clothes, Mom takes them to the store and buys them.(After hours and hours of trying them on to see if they fit, "AW MOM!!!) But as we grow, we have to start getting to the point that we ask for things. I need a job, say, you have to apply, interview, and get offered the job. I need an apartment to live in, one is not supplied for you, you have to look, seek, figure out if you can afford the rent, ..............It is up to you to ask, seek and find.

Want something from God? Have you asked, sought, knocked? It's simple, really. It is humbling, because we are showing that we are not in charge, HE is. Asking, seeking, and knocking, shows us and God that we depend upon Him for what we need or want. To ask seek and knock is to show we are not the worlds answer to everything, He is.

Remember the parable in the bible of the little old lady who lost her coin? Did she sit down on the couch and say: "Oh well,it will show up eventually?" No, she sought long and hard for that coin. Have you ever lost your cell phone? It is amazing how much we have become attached to cell phones, in as little time as they have been in my life, I am lost if I do not have mine with me. I will search the house over and over, look in the car, use someone else's phone to try and call mine and see if I can hear it ring. I have even left in the middle of church because I realized I had left mine in the car and I wanted to "make sure that is where it was". (Like I couldn't wait 30 minutes to have my cell phone, I wasn't going to use it during the next 30 minutes, but having found it made me feel, better, together, complete.) And, yes, I did pray and ask that it would show up.

ASK: To talk to someone and request something from them. (The Chris Calvin dictionary)

Seek: To hunt, look for intensely, search wholeheartedly, not stop until it is found. (Also the Chris Calvin dictionary)

Knock: To acknowledge your outside, and would like the attention of anyone inside, to seek admittance. (Again, well you know)

Does God know our needs? Yes, He does. Does God want to supply those needs? Yes, He does. Then why does He MAKE us ask Him for them? Because we are grown ups, we can not supply our own miracles, we are dependent solely,upon Him for what we need. Sure, God could make us all robots, make us love Him, make us serve Him, supply everything we needed wanted or just lacked just because He wanted to. But He wants us to love Him because we want to, not because He makes us. That would not be love, that would be slavery, prison, bondage. Jesus Christ came to break the bondage we already have in this world, not make more of it.

If we don't ask, seek, and knock, how will we ever receive, if we don't ever seek, we will never find and if we never knock, how will anyone know we are outside and come an open the door for us? Want something from God, try ASKING, SEEKING, or KNOCKING, or all three. He is waiting.