Matthew 7:7–8: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

January 5th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

As young impressionable believers, we can remember someone saying, “Since the Bible says, ‘Ask, and it shall be given to you,’ all you have to do is ask for something with faith and persistence, and you’ll get it.” But with that kind of reasoning, God Almighty gets reduced to little more than the proverbial genie in a bottle, somehow required to fulfill our every request.

The first 6 verses of this chapter record Jesus pointing out the danger of condemning other people, as if we have some right to be a judge. His warning, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matt. 7:2) is to be taken literally. That is an extremely demanding standard for anyone to try and apply on a daily basis. We have tried but continually fail to consistently practice it, even though we have good intentions. As many of our grandmothers often used to say, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” We don’t need better intentions; we need more of God’s power at work in our lives. And that is what Jesus is trying to get us to ask, seek and knock for—more of Him and less of us.

The Greek mathematician Archimedes was gifted in mechanics and engineering, and after he had made an important discovery in measurement, he ran through Syracuse shouting, “Eureka, Eureka” (“I have found it”). He also famously said, “Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the Earth.” God has given us a power by which we are to move the world. Prayer moves the hand that moves the universe, and He invites us to ask for that power.

“Lord, we keep failing and need Your forgiveness. We need You to give us today not our selfish material desires, but Your character and integrity. We must decrease and You must increase.”