I’m continuing on in Matthew and this morning, I came to Matthew 7:7-11.  Give it a read and meet me back here.  (If you’re wondering why I’m not providing the Scripture , it’s because I want you to develop the discipline of reading the Scripture for yourself, before you read what I wrote).  Ok…did you read it?  

As I studied through these verses, I was expecting one thing and God shined a light on another.  Isn’t that just like Him to surprise and delight His children?!  Love Him so much!

Today, I’m gonna give you a peek into my journal because so many things popped out to me as I studied through the Greek definitions.  

First, I found that “ask”, “seek”, and “knock” are each in the imperative mood.  They are commands, not suggestions.  

• “Ask” (aiteō) means to ask, call for, desire, require. 
• “Seek” (zēteō) means to seek in order to find.  When I first read that definition, I thought, well, when you’re seeking something, isn’t the point to find it?  As I pondered that, something came to mind (and don’t get upset with me if this describes you, haha).  I can’t tell you the number of times Mike will ask me where something is, and I tell him, and he says back, “it’s not where you said it was”.  I get up out of my chair and go to get what he was “looking” for, and it was right where I said it would be.  Now, I would not describe Mike’s seeking in that moment as a “seek, in order to find”.  Where is the intensity and determination?  (Sorry Mike…haha).  Another thing to note about the word “seek” (zēteō) is that it is the same Greek word used in the verse “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”, (Matthew 6:33).  
• “Knock” (krouō) means to rap, know with a heavy blow, knock with the knuckles.  When I considered this, I had to chuckle because a memory came back to me from my early teen years.  The church I attended had visitation, where we went out and knocked on doors to ask people if they knew where they would spend eternity.  (I will keep my thoughts to myself about this method of evangelism).  Anyway, as a shy teen girl, my “knock” on a door could not have been described as (krouō) because I tapped very lightly, hoping no one answered the door.  

The answers to those three things – ask, seek, knock – were in the indicative mood, denoting a simple statement of fact (if an action really occurs, has occurred, or will occur, it will be rendered in the indicative mood).  When I considered this, what came to will do His part.  

You do your part.  God will do His part.

My part – ask, seek, knock.  God’s part – give, make “found”, open.  When I consider this “my part” – ”His part” thing, I see that, in the command to do my part (ask, seek, knock), God is placing me in the position for me to learn to trust that He will give me His best for me.  What develops trust?   Relationship!!  Obedience!!  Interaction!!

Obeying His commands allows Him to prove Himself faithful to us.  

I love when God connects the dots in Scripture for me. It’s not by accident that the Spirit drew my mind to  “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”.  When I am seeking (in order to find!) His kingdom and His righteousness, I can trust Him to take care of the rest.  

Relationship changes focus.

While I was thinking about how “relationship” changes one’s focus, the Spirit brought to memory “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”, (Psalm 37:4).  As we delight ourselves in Him, as we seek first HIS kingdom and righteousness, our desires change to become aligned with His and then He can give me my desires – because they are HIS desires.  

I think that so many people have misinterpreted the “ask, seek, knock” verses to believe that if they ask for something, God is saying He will give it to them.  From this, we see how erroneous that belief is.  In reality, your selfish desires will change when you seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.  

That segues nicely into the next verse I studied through – Matthew 7:8 – “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”  God is not obligated to fulfill your every wish or desire.  

God is NOT a “Divine Genie”.

He is God Almighty.  He is the King of Kings.  He is the Lord of Lords.  

I think that James explained it so well.  “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord”, (James 1:5-7).  Further in his epistle, James states, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”, (James 4:3)

God’s answers may be “yes”, “no”, or “not now”.  

Jesus closed out this section of Scripture with verses 9-11.  Give those a read and meet me back here. 

I LOVED these verses so much.  It mentions “relationship” three times (son, children, Father)!!  Verse eleven says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”.  

Think this through with me.  As a parent, not everything you give your child do they consider good (vegetables, medicine, chores, spankings), but you know that those are beneficial to them.  Now prepare to get excited!  The Greek word used for “good things” (agathos) means good and beneficial. 

As believers, we are children of our heavenly Father, and as such, we have a relationship with Him.  He expects us to obey His commands (like ask, seek, knock), and in turn He will hold no good and beneficial thing from us.  And as we grow and mature, we come to learn that He has His best in store for us.