Today’s scripture: Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (David Zier):
Sometimes I think we read this passage so literally, that we think it means we can ask God for a Mercedes Benz, and it will be granted. But Jesus is not just saying that it is what we ask, but it is what we search for, and what we are persistent about. As we live from day to day, what is it we search for?
It’s common for us to view this about prayer. Be persistent about prayer. Keep asking God and God will grant it. What God grants and how God responds may not be what we think it should be, and we may think our prayers are not answered. Or perhaps, an unanswered prayer allows us to be persistent, and we can receive what is needed through our persistence.
But consider verses 9 to 11. If a child asks for bread or fish, would a parent provide something that is not needed? Bread and fish are nourishment. If a child were hungry, or needing some kind of sustenance for life, would a parent respond by giving them something contrary? When we go to prayer, would God give us something contrary to what we ask, our sustenance for life?
Years ago a young man in Illinois, with only six months schooling, ran for an office in the legislature and lost. Next he tried starting a business but failed. He ran for congress and was defeated. He then tried to obtain an appointment to the U.S. land office, but was unsuccessful. He became a candidate for the Vice-Presidency and lost. He was defeated for Senator two years later. He ran for office once more and was elected. Of course, we know this is the story of Abraham Lincoln. It took Winston Churchill three years to get through the eighth grade. He couldn’t pass English. He was asked many years later to give the commencement address at Oxford University. His now famous speech consisted of only three words: “Never give up!”
What is it that we search for in life? What is it we are called to do in life? Are we like the child seeking substance for life? Do we recognize the difference between our own desires and our spiritual needs? In the subsequent verses in Matthew 7, we learn that discipleship is not an easy path. It is not just something that we do. It is a path, it is a search, it is a journey. It consists of one knock on the door after another.
Are we willing to be persistent on the search, keep knocking on the door, and allow God into our lives to shape and transform us? What does that mean for me at this point in time of my life? Search and you will find. Jesus gives us the answer to how to be a disciple. It is the constant asking, the constant searching, and the transformation that happens to us as the door to our hearts are opened, and we allow God to occupy a little more space, one day at a time.
Prayer for the day: God, I ask for your grace to overwhelm me, so I can see the power of persistence in seeking you to realize the work you are doing in me. May I remain open to you so that my heart can be occupied by you one day at a time, in my search to be your disciple. I ask for your guidance in knowing what it means to follow Jesus in my life, and for your help in making me all that you created me to be.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.