Matthew 7:7-12
New International Version (NIV)
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus gives us new perspective of what it means to Ask - Ask God for things in life, What it means to Seek - Seek his kingdom, And to knock - Knock at the doors of opportunities he has for us.
Ask
So what should we ASK?
Ask for his guidance, Wisdom - As Solomon Asks -
2 Chronicles 1:7-12
New International Version (NIV)
7 That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
8 Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place.9 Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
11 God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”
8 Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place.9 Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
11 God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”
Matthew 6:12 NIV
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
How to ASK?
Ask in the Name of Jesus -
John 14:13 NIV - And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Asking God persistently - In prayers, in faith.
Asking God is an act of showing respect and an act to glorify God.
Jesus gave us this parables and analogies to make us understand how important we are for him, how much he Loves and cares for us when we ask -
Parable of the Friend at Night
He said to them, "Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight, and tell him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,' and he from within will answer and say, 'Don't bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give it to you'? I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs. Luke 11:5-8
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:1-8
Seek for his Kingdom First - Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Seek for him - God
Jeremiah 29:13 NIV
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Knock
John 10:9-16 (NKJV)
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
One of the most important aspect in the above analogy of Jesus - Ask, Seek and Knock is this. Jesus shows us what the Heavenly Father's Gifting is all about.
Asking is to do with our words, we ask because we need something and we ask with the confidence of getting. Its much to do with our mouth and nothing more. When we get what we have asked for, it signifies or shows our power of our words.
Seeking is to do with our heart. Its much to do with our thoughts. It signifies or shows our power of our thought.
Knocking is an act - much to do with our physical abilities - an act of setting out ourselves to make things happen. It signifies or shows our physical abilities.
So, Jesus takes each aspect and says positively - 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Jesus also reassures the statement by saying 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Jesus says first personally (ASK, SEEK and KNOCK) and then generalizes(everyone who ASKS, SEEKS and KNOCKS)
The Analogy is by comparing as to what one may get when they ask, seek and knock.
The Analogy of Bread and Stone -
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
We know that when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the satan tests Jesus with question asking Jesus to turn the stones into bread.
Matthew 4
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Jesus and the Devil
The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, so that the devil could test him. 2 After Jesus had gone without eating for forty days and nights, he was very hungry. 3 Then the devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, tell these stones to turn into bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say:
‘No one can live only on food.
People need every word
that God has spoken.’”
Now in the analogy Jesus says "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?. This signifies the confidence that Jesus has with the Father. That enabled him to overcome that temptation that he had in the wilderness. Asking father means believing in his words. That is why Jesus said, ‘No one can live only on food.
People need every word
that God has spoken.’”
Analogy of Fish and Snake:
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
In the analogy Jesus asks if the son asks for a fish, will the father give him a snake?
In the miracles of Jesus - "Miraculous draught of fish" and "Feeding the thousands" - Jesus teaches us that Father in heaven is much concerned about our lives. He knows our pains and sufferings, he doesn't even like us to be a failure or hunger. He makes things happen, He gives us fish that which even the nets could not bear, and he feeds us our hunger.
"miraculous draught of fish". - Two instances where fishes caught on the net was one of the miracles of Jesus, teaching lessons for life by his miracle. Even in Feeding the multitude there were two significant miracle, teaching us lessons.
"miracle of the seven loaves and fish". - "The Feeding of the 5000"
"miracle of the seven loaves and fishes" - "The Feeding of the 4,000"
In the 12th verse Jesus says. 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Here Jesus changes the whole perception of our thinking about Gifts....
Many of us think that its receiving great gifts that makes our life happy...
but its not in receiving, but in giving - Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Hebrews 12:2 ►
Parallel Verses
New International Version
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
If we ever in life thought that we are only giving and not receiving any gifts, let us have this in mind. The God who created everything has the best sense of gifting. John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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