Going to God in Confidence

Scripture Reading

Matthew 7:7-8

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.

Devotional

We know that God loves us and wants to bless us abundantly. We can have confidence that he’s working for our good based on Romans 8:28. So, naturally when we get into times of trouble or defeat we turn to God and say “Hey, my cup is looking a little empty, any time you wanna overflow it would be great.” Of course, I’m saying that in jest, but the fact is that we do look to God for help or wonder why we’re going through a particular trial. In fact, we usually come to him after we’ve pretty much depleted all the ways we could think of to overcome something on our own. However, if we read this scripture carefully, God is calling us to do three things… ask, seek, and knock and it’s not until we’ve done those things that he will respond. In Greek, the verbs ask, seek, and knock in this scripture are actually in perfect present tense, meaning it’s a continuous action. So, you don’t just ask once, seek once, or knock once, you continue to do these things. It’s analogous to prayer. You want to be prayerful at all times, keeping that line of communication open with God.

So, why does God want us to ask for his help and keep knocking at his door? He wants this because that action actually humbles us, shows that we are dependent on him, and it brings God to the forefront of our lives. Has your friend or family member ever called you and told you come over and you get there and you’re knocking at the door and there’s no immediate answer? You see the car in the driveway and you know they just called you and told you come over, so you’re certain they’re home. So, what do you do? You keep knocking, ringing the door bell, maybe call them a few times, but you’re not going to just leave. Why? Because you are certain that they’re there and intend to open the door. The same can be said of God. God’s already said to us to come on over, he wants to help us out with whatever is burdening us and just like we have confidence in our friends and family to come to the door, we have the assurance from the Word of God that he will open the door. Now the timing may not but what we envision, but the promise still stands. The key is for us not to walk away, but continue to call out to God and show our faithfulness and dependence on him.

Similarly, the scripture said when you seek you will find. Whenever I read this, I am reminded of all the times I have misplaced my car keys. I know the keys are there. I know all the usual places I put them, but for some reason I just can’t find them and if I can’t find them, I can’t get to where I need to go. Sometimes in the midst of a trial, you will look for God, but don’t see him. You know God is there because he’s always been there and he promises to never leave nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:8), but in that moment you may be frantic and waiting for him to show up because you know you cannot get to the other side of that obstacle without him leading the way. What God promises us is that if we keep seeking, we will find what it is that we need. In the earlier example, maybe I was looking for my keys, but what I really needed was my purse, which not only has my keys but also my wallet because God already knows that the place I need to be will require me to have my credit card. See, I thought I should be looking for my keys, but God said I needed my purse.

Last, but certainly not least, is that we need to ask God for what we need. What we may need wisdom, guidance, strength, peace, financial help, healing… it could be any number of things. And when we ask, we should expect God to respond because he has already assured us that he will. In today’s society, people are pretty much discouraged from asking for help. It’s sometimes a pride issue, but often times it’s because there’s some kind of shame involved because you’re told that you should always be able to pull yourself up by your bootstraps or fend for yourself no matter what. But that’s not what God says. In fact, God says the opposite. He tells us upfront that there will be battles that we can’t win without the Lord. He tells us that we need to seek his will and his guidance. He tells us that when we are weak that we are strong because the Lord is with us. And he also tells us to help each other, show love to one another, help each other up when one of us falls, care for the widows and orphans, and the list goes on. All of these things point to the fact that we cannot and should not do life alone because we were not designed with that intent.

So, whether we’re asking, seeking, or knocking frantically on God’s door we can do it in confidence that not only will we receive an answer, but it will be the perfect answer. And that just by asking, seeking, and knocking, we are doing exactly what God wants us to do in faith. Of course, there is a caveat that if we’re asking or seeking something that is to feed our own selfish desires or are seeking something that’s not good for us, we shouldn’t expect God to give it to us. Why? Because God only gives good gifts and he only works for our good; therefore, to give us something that will ultimately harm us would be against his very nature. With that, let’s close in prayer.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for being a God that can’t wait to answer our prayers and help us. Thank you also for being a God that only gives us good gifts. Today, I am going through a struggle Lord and I am asking you to respond. I am seeking your face and a way forward. I am knocking at your door and anxiously awaiting you to greet me. Lord, you know what burdens my mind and my heart. I ask humbly and confidently that you come through for me in a big way that not only blesses me, but demonstrates your glory and goodness that never ends. In Jesus’ name, Amen.