This morning these words hit me two simple words, "Prepare yourself". And Matthew 7:7-8 came to my mind. That is one of the best passages to many people. I mean it literally says ask, seek and knock. What does that translate to? Pray without ceasing? Give without expecting? While a lot would agree, on this morning I beg to differ. Looking at the three different aspects of the passage, this is what I see.
Ask: Ask and it shall be given to you. Now the question is, how do I know what to ask for? Matthew 7:9 talks about asking for bread and receiving stone or asking for fish and receiving a snake. That surely is wickedness and I know for a fact and truth that my Father is not wicked. Now what if, what if I dare ask, we are asking for stones instead of bread? What if we ask for fishes instead of snakes? Do we expect our merciful father to grant our requests? There is a scripture that the Holy Spirit is continuously making intercessions on our behalf, and that what is asked for is what we need.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. - Romans 8:26-27
Now what if, what if I dare ask, what we ask for is very different from what the Holy Spirit is pleading for on our behalf? Does "where two or three are gathered in my name" ring a bell? Now if you can't have that within yourself there is a big problem indeed. Prepare yourself!!
Seek: Seek and you shall find? Where do you seek? What do you seek? You can't search for an apple in a cornfield, you definitely won't find an apple tree growing on a sea bed.
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces" - Matthew 7:6
In the same way you don't give them sacred things or precious stones, you definitely shouldn't be searching for sacred things among dogs or pigs. Apart from not being able to find any, you will most likely be torn to pieces. Once again I say Prepare yourself!!! Not just about knowing what to search for but it is also about knowing where to search for it.
Knock Given a choice, I am sure we all would want to be like Lot, wanting the choicest of all that we see. I am sure the same principle would apply to doors.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" Matthew 7:13-14
Now I am not implying that all doors should look small and the path behind them should be narrow. I am saying however that sometimes the doors we spend so much time knocking on, may not be the right doors for us. We all want the good things of life, forgetting it is the God things that matter. Forgetting the most important thing, that it is the doors to our hearts and lives that are the most important thing to Him. Opening that door always gives answers to the questions we ask and most importantly, gives us the right questions to ask.
Before we ask, before we seek, before we knock, we should open the doors to our hearts. We should "Prepare ourselves"
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me - Revelations 3:20
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