Matthew 7:7 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
It all started innocently enough as many relationships do. But over the days and weeks to come, our get together’s grew more frequent and soon I understood I was being pursued.
Passionately.
What I brought to this relationship didn’t seem like much to me – but to my pursuer, it was something of great desire.
What, exactly, am I talking about?
I was standing outside my front door one day in late Spring watching the squirrels who live in the oak trees, play. I was eating dry roasted peanuts and noticed one of those furry little guys was watching me intently.
They mostly seem to subsist on acorns and don’t appear to be going hungry – so I didn’t offer them a peanut because of a belief that they needed to be fed.
But I tossed one of my peanuts down and one of the squirrels picked it up and examined it closely. Then he ran up the tree and in no time I saw him perched on a limb above me munching eagerly on this new found delicacy.
Then he came back asking for another. So I gave him one more.
I guess, much as it is with humans, the word spread of something good on offer. These squirrels connected me as the source of a great treasure. The next day there was not one squirrel looking for a peanut – but 2-3 of them.
To be honest, I enjoy being pursued. I like being thought of as the source of something good. And I liked the attention.
Our relationship with God is much the same way. See, he is the source of all the good things we have in our lives. As David said in Psalm 50:10, “For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.”
He wants us to pursue him. He wants us to ask him for things we need or want.
Both the peanuts and the squirrels come from him. Along with everything else we have. We don’t actually own anything, we’re merely stewards of the things God gave us.
So how can you and I use this today? I’m convinced that many of us don’t have the things we want in our life because we never ask for them. We haven’t fully accepted that God is the source of all the good things in our lives.
Then there is this: Many don’t ask because they are somewhere between being unsure of what they’d ask for and a firm belief that their request would be denied anyway. Why get your hopes up only to end up disappointed?
The squirrels? They have no confusion over what they want from me. They want peanuts. Some days there are as many as 7 squirrels who are here seeking a peanut whenever I walk outside.
If I walk out to get the mail – they ask “got any peanuts?”
As to our dealings with God, remember what Jesus said himself, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (recorded in John 14:14)
There are a few exceptions to that. What you ask for and faithfully believe will happen must also be in alignment with what God wants for your life.
He wants what’s best for us when often we only ask for what would be good. When we ask, it’s not with passion. Praying for a new Mercedes Benz is, in many cases, not in alignment with his will either.
Realize too that he’s looking at your reasons for this desire you express. What is your motivation for your request? You don’t have to say it out loud – he knows your heart.
But when you get clear on those things you really want to happen in your life, while acknowledging that “if it’s your will”, then earnestly ask Jesus for them – you will end up shocked how often he grants you those things you wanted.
Try it today and report back to me in comments below what you found.
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