Matthew 7:7, 8 - In Prayer We Ask, Seek and Knock to Receive, Find and Open.
Matthew 7:7, 8 (ESV) Ask, and it will be
given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and
it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one
who knocks it will be opened.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Trust the Timing
Can you think of a time in your life when
you acted impulsively and came to regret it?
Maybe you bought a car or a house on an
impulse, and now youre sorry you did so. Maybe you
signed a contract that you didnt read carefully
or entered into a business deal that you should
have considered more. Or maybe you made a
marriage commitment that you didnt bring before
the Lord in prayer, and you have regretted
that.
Ive come to discover that Gods
timing is just as important as Gods will.
There are times when we pray about
something and God says no. But that doesnt
necessarily mean that His answer always will be no. It
means that is His answer for now. So dont give
up. That is why the Bible tells us to keep
asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking (see Matthew
7:7).
On the other hand, there are certain
things we may ask God to do, and He always will say
no. Those are things that are in direct
opposition to what the Bible teaches.
In the Book of Exodus, we find a story
about a man of God who had bad timing. If he were
in a race, he would be the guy who comes out of
nowhere to take the lead and then suddenly
self-destructs. His name was Moses.
If we were to draw up a short list of
people whom God has used in a powerful way,
certainly Moses would be at the top. He was Moses, the
great lawgiver and the man who, through his
personal godliness and integrity, kept three million
people from turning to idolatry. But perhaps the
best description of all is this one: Moses the
man of God.
Yet Moses was a bit on the impulsive
side. Even though Pharaohs daughter had adopted
him and raised him in the royal household, Moses
knew who he was. He was a true believer in the
Lord God. Underneath those Egyptian robes of
royalty beat the heart of a Hebrew.
Moses heart was in the right place,
but his actions were foolhardy, to say the
least. He took action, and it was the worst mistake
of his life.
In Exodus 2 we read, Many years later,
when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his
own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard
they were forced to work. During his visit, he
saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow
Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure
no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian
and hid the body in the sand (verse 11-12
NLT).
Clearly God did not tell Moses to do
this. Moses looked in all directions, but he
should have looked up. If he had done that, God
would have said no.
Sometimes we want the will of God, but we
will go about it in our own way. God wants us to
do His will in His way in His time. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 7:7, 8 - In Prayer We Ask, Seek and
Knock to Receive, Find and Open.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210801-1023.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210218-1053.html
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray Without Ceasing.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210628-0909.html
Luke 18:1 - Always Pray and Avoid Being
Discouraged.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2014/20140502-0921.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/