Matthew 7:7
“Ask, and you will be given what you ask for. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened."
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Five years ago today, my
niece Jasmine gave birth to the first of her three children. Entering
the world at a weight of 8 pounds, 5 ounces, with 20¾” of length,
Timothy Michael was a bright-eyed bundle of delight from the very
beginning. I’ve learned a lot of lessons from this little guy in the
last five years. But the biggest lesson God has demonstrated to me
through him is the power and truth of Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:7. In
many situations, I have asked, sought, and knocked…and God has opened
the door and answered my petitions.
I find it no small coincidence that just this morning, I read in Anne Graham-Lotz’s book, Just Give Me Jesus,
about the night that Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of
Gethsemane to pray. He begged the disciples to stay awake and pray with
Him…Jesus pled with Peter to wake up and sit with Him. When the
soldiers came, and Peter realized what was happening – and how dire the
situation was – he panicked and cut off the ear of the soldier, Malchus.
Lotz maintains that the real reason that Peter reacted in this
way was from his failure to pray. Had Peter stayed awake with Jesus and
prayed, he would have possibly had a better understanding of the
unfolding events. Had he sought God’s presence and wisdom, Peter might
have essentially “knocked at the door”…and God would have answered and
revealed many truths to him. This would not have prevented the
crucifixion, but it might have given Peter a different perspective and
changed his reaction.
I also opened another devotional book today – a recent gift from my mother titled Jesus Calling.
Today’s “message” was to look for areas where we need to let go and
leave things in the capable hands of Jesus. Boy, do I ever need to
internalize this message! If we could learn to ask, seek, knock, and
receive…then “let go and let God” have control, we would see such a
difference in every aspect of our lives.
Clearly, God is sending
me a message…one that is appropriate for all of us. We cannot find Him
if we are “asleep” or inattentive. We won’t hear from God if we don’t
ask, seek, and knock. If we will pray about everything, seek God’s
will, and listen for His voice, He will open the door and answer…through
a newborn baby, the daily events of our life, the anointed words of a
devotional or inspirational book or song, and certainly through the
fervent diligence of ongoing prayer.
When we stay awake and
alert for God’s voice…when we petition Him with sincerity, humility, and
persistence, He “answers the door”. Better still…He takes our requests
and desires to heart…sifts and sorts them to find the perfect match
with His will…and answers perfectly. It sounds like a simple
formula…but I can tell you firsthand that it is not. We are stubborn
know-it-alls who often think we should tell God how things ought to go!
But if we will surrender control… if we will ask, seek, and knock…God
will open the door and answer.
Where do you find yourself
today…are you “asleep” in the garden…or are you poised at God’s door?
Your answer could be life-changing. How will you respond?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label asking God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label asking God. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for April 15, 2012
Luke 11:9-13
"Here's what I'm saying: Ask and you'll get; Seek and you'll find; Knock and the door will open. Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?"
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Yesterday, my husband and I went to an estate auction. My husband’s mother went with us. She is a veteran antiques dealer who has been to countless auctions in her life. There was a treadle sewing machine that she was interested in purchasing. When it comes to bidding at auctions, my mother-in-law is shrewd – and seasoned – and she started the bidding fairly low, hoping to score a real bargain. She bid $10, and some man behind her shouted “$110!” My mother-in-law shot the man a startled look, as the bidding closed and he won the sewing machine. He then asked her, “Just how high were you willing to bid?” She shot back, “Oh… probably $15.” Everyone laughed. The man had jumped the gun – and probably paid far more than he had to for this vintage piece.
The lesson for auction-goers is that you don’t know until you ask… and making an outrageous offer or bidding too high too quickly can be quite costly! You may think the item is worth what you are offering – and that you know better than the other bidders… but you can also get stuck with something you don’t want or pay far too much. It’s better to be specific… and to be patient!
When we ask God for things, we often want to play games, bargain, or jump the gun. We often think we know better than He what is needed… for ourselves and for others. We frequently act as if we have everything figured out on our own and really don’t need the Holy Spirit to intervene. And most of the time, we are terribly impatient… with sometimes disastrous results!
You may be asking why God wants us to be specific and ask Him for what we need – even the presence of His Holy Spirit – when He is supposed to know all of this already. The answer is - humility. God wants us to acknowledge Him as the author and creator of our lives and the daily turn of events. As I told you earlier, God is a gentleman and will not send His Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts uninvited. We must demonstrate a level of faith and trust… a commitment and devotion to Him… and then He will gladly fill us and grant us what we need.
Are you still playing games and bargaining with God? Do you still think you can manage your life on your own terms? Isn’t it time to surrender your ego and bask in the glory and goodness of God and His amazing gifts? Will you keep jumping the gun and making a mess of things… or will you “let go and let God?” Isn’t this a great day for a change?
©2012 Debbie Robus
"Here's what I'm saying: Ask and you'll get; Seek and you'll find; Knock and the door will open. Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your little boy asks for a serving of fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? If your little girl asks for an egg, do you trick her with a spider? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing—you're at least decent to your own children. And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him?"
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Yesterday, my husband and I went to an estate auction. My husband’s mother went with us. She is a veteran antiques dealer who has been to countless auctions in her life. There was a treadle sewing machine that she was interested in purchasing. When it comes to bidding at auctions, my mother-in-law is shrewd – and seasoned – and she started the bidding fairly low, hoping to score a real bargain. She bid $10, and some man behind her shouted “$110!” My mother-in-law shot the man a startled look, as the bidding closed and he won the sewing machine. He then asked her, “Just how high were you willing to bid?” She shot back, “Oh… probably $15.” Everyone laughed. The man had jumped the gun – and probably paid far more than he had to for this vintage piece.
The lesson for auction-goers is that you don’t know until you ask… and making an outrageous offer or bidding too high too quickly can be quite costly! You may think the item is worth what you are offering – and that you know better than the other bidders… but you can also get stuck with something you don’t want or pay far too much. It’s better to be specific… and to be patient!
When we ask God for things, we often want to play games, bargain, or jump the gun. We often think we know better than He what is needed… for ourselves and for others. We frequently act as if we have everything figured out on our own and really don’t need the Holy Spirit to intervene. And most of the time, we are terribly impatient… with sometimes disastrous results!
You may be asking why God wants us to be specific and ask Him for what we need – even the presence of His Holy Spirit – when He is supposed to know all of this already. The answer is - humility. God wants us to acknowledge Him as the author and creator of our lives and the daily turn of events. As I told you earlier, God is a gentleman and will not send His Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts uninvited. We must demonstrate a level of faith and trust… a commitment and devotion to Him… and then He will gladly fill us and grant us what we need.
Are you still playing games and bargaining with God? Do you still think you can manage your life on your own terms? Isn’t it time to surrender your ego and bask in the glory and goodness of God and His amazing gifts? Will you keep jumping the gun and making a mess of things… or will you “let go and let God?” Isn’t this a great day for a change?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for May 20, 2011
Judges 11:29-39
Then the LORD's Spirit took control of Jephthah, and Jephthah went through Gilead and Manasseh, raising an army. Finally, he arrived at Mizpah in Gilead, where he promised the LORD, "If you will let me defeat the Ammonites and come home safely, I will sacrifice to you whoever comes out to meet me first."
From Mizpah, Jephthah attacked the Ammonites, and the LORD helped him defeat them. Jephthah and his army destroyed the twenty towns between Aroer and Minnith, and others as far as Abel-Keramim. After that, the Ammonites could not invade Israel any more.
When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, the first one to meet him was his daughter. She was playing a tambourine and dancing to celebrate his victory, and she was his only child.
"Oh!" Jephthah cried. Then he tore his clothes in sorrow and said to his daughter, "I made a sacred promise to the LORD, and I must keep it. Your coming out to meet me has broken my heart."
"Father," she said, "you made a sacred promise to the LORD, and he let you defeat the Ammonites. Now, you must do what you promised, even if it means I must die.
But first, please let me spend two months, wandering in the hill country with my friends. We will cry together, because I can never get married and have children." "Yes, you may have two months," Jephthah said. She and some other girls left, and for two months they wandered in the hill country, crying because she could never get married and have children. Then she went back to her father. He did what he had promised, and she never got married.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Okay, first of all, if our father promised someone something that involved a sacrifice on our part, I seriously doubt we would be so agreeable, don’t you?! Even if it didn’t involve human sacrifice – OUR human sacrifice – I still don’t think we would be so accommodating. We would hope that our dad would say, “You’re right… I really didn’t mean it! I would never think of allowing you (or your friends or possessions) to be harmed, just because I promised.” Never mind that God had saved an entire clan of people because of Jephthah’s promise…after all, we bargain with God all the time, don’t we? Surely we don’t mean to follow through… even if He delivers!
This passage illustrates a very important point… if we are going to bargain with God, we better be ready, willing, and able to deliver on our end… because God doesn’t play around! Moreover, if we do bargain with God, we had better be careful what we offer in return for whatever we ask of Him. I am pretty certain I could not have done what Jephthah’s daughter did. For one thing, she really had nothing to do with her father’s bargain with God… she was an innocent bystander caught in the cross-hairs.
On the other hand, had I been Jephthah… even considering his daughter’s willingness… I am not sure I could have followed through with killing her. I would probably have been on my knees, asking God to have mercy on me and find a suitable substitute. But that is not where we want to be, is it? We don’t want to be in a relationship with God where we are making promises we can’t possibly deliver, and hoping He will be merciful and accept something else!
Because of the blood of Jesus, living sacrifices are no longer necessary from us mere mortals. But there are plenty of times we do come before God and ask for His help, promising all sorts of things in return… “Just let me lose this 10 pounds, and I promise I will give up ice cream and start jogging every day.” We tell Him, “Please heal my loved one, and I will never miss another Sunday of worship services!” We ask, “Can you just help me make it through these finals, and I promise that next semester, I will study really hard and be ready!”
When we make promises to God in return for requesting His help, we had better be ready, willing, and able to deliver. If we don’t have the courage and fortitude of Jephthah and his daughter to fully make good on our vows, we better rethink what we are asking – and how we ask for it. Is your word your bond… with people in everyday life – and especially with God? Shouldn’t it be?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Then the LORD's Spirit took control of Jephthah, and Jephthah went through Gilead and Manasseh, raising an army. Finally, he arrived at Mizpah in Gilead, where he promised the LORD, "If you will let me defeat the Ammonites and come home safely, I will sacrifice to you whoever comes out to meet me first."
From Mizpah, Jephthah attacked the Ammonites, and the LORD helped him defeat them. Jephthah and his army destroyed the twenty towns between Aroer and Minnith, and others as far as Abel-Keramim. After that, the Ammonites could not invade Israel any more.
When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, the first one to meet him was his daughter. She was playing a tambourine and dancing to celebrate his victory, and she was his only child.
"Oh!" Jephthah cried. Then he tore his clothes in sorrow and said to his daughter, "I made a sacred promise to the LORD, and I must keep it. Your coming out to meet me has broken my heart."
"Father," she said, "you made a sacred promise to the LORD, and he let you defeat the Ammonites. Now, you must do what you promised, even if it means I must die.
But first, please let me spend two months, wandering in the hill country with my friends. We will cry together, because I can never get married and have children." "Yes, you may have two months," Jephthah said. She and some other girls left, and for two months they wandered in the hill country, crying because she could never get married and have children. Then she went back to her father. He did what he had promised, and she never got married.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Okay, first of all, if our father promised someone something that involved a sacrifice on our part, I seriously doubt we would be so agreeable, don’t you?! Even if it didn’t involve human sacrifice – OUR human sacrifice – I still don’t think we would be so accommodating. We would hope that our dad would say, “You’re right… I really didn’t mean it! I would never think of allowing you (or your friends or possessions) to be harmed, just because I promised.” Never mind that God had saved an entire clan of people because of Jephthah’s promise…after all, we bargain with God all the time, don’t we? Surely we don’t mean to follow through… even if He delivers!
This passage illustrates a very important point… if we are going to bargain with God, we better be ready, willing, and able to deliver on our end… because God doesn’t play around! Moreover, if we do bargain with God, we had better be careful what we offer in return for whatever we ask of Him. I am pretty certain I could not have done what Jephthah’s daughter did. For one thing, she really had nothing to do with her father’s bargain with God… she was an innocent bystander caught in the cross-hairs.
On the other hand, had I been Jephthah… even considering his daughter’s willingness… I am not sure I could have followed through with killing her. I would probably have been on my knees, asking God to have mercy on me and find a suitable substitute. But that is not where we want to be, is it? We don’t want to be in a relationship with God where we are making promises we can’t possibly deliver, and hoping He will be merciful and accept something else!
Because of the blood of Jesus, living sacrifices are no longer necessary from us mere mortals. But there are plenty of times we do come before God and ask for His help, promising all sorts of things in return… “Just let me lose this 10 pounds, and I promise I will give up ice cream and start jogging every day.” We tell Him, “Please heal my loved one, and I will never miss another Sunday of worship services!” We ask, “Can you just help me make it through these finals, and I promise that next semester, I will study really hard and be ready!”
When we make promises to God in return for requesting His help, we had better be ready, willing, and able to deliver. If we don’t have the courage and fortitude of Jephthah and his daughter to fully make good on our vows, we better rethink what we are asking – and how we ask for it. Is your word your bond… with people in everyday life – and especially with God? Shouldn’t it be?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for April 23, 2011
Luke 11:9
So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. Which one of you fathers would give your hungry child a snake if the child asked for a fish? Which one of you would give your child a scorpion if the child asked for an egg? As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Timothy was staying with us recently, and my mother came over to visit. She brought a blue plastic Easter basket, filled with:
• blue Easter grass
• two different packages/flavors of “Peeps”
• a chocolate bunny
• a Curious George DVD
• a bottle of all-in-one shampoo
• a bunny car filled with Easter candy
• a wand of bubbles, and
• a baby doll that laughs when you squeeze it.
I groaned when I saw all the sticky candy, and she laughed and said, “It’s okay… I’m the great-grandmother!” This is one great-grandmother who knows how to give “good gifts!” And of course, three Peeps later, Timmy was a happy, sticky mess out on our driveway blowing bubbles! He’s not old enough to actually ask for gifts yet, but when he is, I’m sure we will gladly - and readily – oblige… and our door is always open to any and all of our nieces and nephews and young friends.
Truly the basket of goodies was filled with things that, while not necessarily healthy for Timothy, were just what a kid needs on Easter week. Many needs this kid didn’t even know he had were met… and then some!
The GOOD NEWS for each of us this Easter weekend – and always – is that God’s door is always open. He may not give us Peeps and chocolate bunnies, but whatever we ask Him will be given to us, according to His will – and with our best interest at the forefront. So if you ask God for a new Mustang, and you really need transportation to get back and forth to school or work, He may give you a used Ford Focus! If you ask God to help you put food on the table, He may see that you have just enough to eat each day rather than showering you with a pantry filled with groceries. But the point is, God will answer… He will meet your needs. His door is always open!
Because of the blood of Jesus… because of the incredible sacrifice of a totally innocent man Who was willing to take our sins and die for them, we can freely ask for anything. Because this man was Jesus Christ in human form, who could not be contained in an earthly grave, the door to our Father’s house is always open. Because of the incredible love of our LORD and Savior, the Holy Spirit is available to each of us…ready to fill our hearts and be our constant companion!
This is the “Good Gift” of Easter. This is the Good Gift we can enjoy all year long… every year… again and again! Ask God for anything, and trust Him to know just how to answer… and to give you “good and perfect gifts” upon request.
©2011 Debbie Robus
So I tell you to ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. Which one of you fathers would give your hungry child a snake if the child asked for a fish? Which one of you would give your child a scorpion if the child asked for an egg? As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Timothy was staying with us recently, and my mother came over to visit. She brought a blue plastic Easter basket, filled with:
• blue Easter grass
• two different packages/flavors of “Peeps”
• a chocolate bunny
• a Curious George DVD
• a bottle of all-in-one shampoo
• a bunny car filled with Easter candy
• a wand of bubbles, and
• a baby doll that laughs when you squeeze it.
I groaned when I saw all the sticky candy, and she laughed and said, “It’s okay… I’m the great-grandmother!” This is one great-grandmother who knows how to give “good gifts!” And of course, three Peeps later, Timmy was a happy, sticky mess out on our driveway blowing bubbles! He’s not old enough to actually ask for gifts yet, but when he is, I’m sure we will gladly - and readily – oblige… and our door is always open to any and all of our nieces and nephews and young friends.
Truly the basket of goodies was filled with things that, while not necessarily healthy for Timothy, were just what a kid needs on Easter week. Many needs this kid didn’t even know he had were met… and then some!
The GOOD NEWS for each of us this Easter weekend – and always – is that God’s door is always open. He may not give us Peeps and chocolate bunnies, but whatever we ask Him will be given to us, according to His will – and with our best interest at the forefront. So if you ask God for a new Mustang, and you really need transportation to get back and forth to school or work, He may give you a used Ford Focus! If you ask God to help you put food on the table, He may see that you have just enough to eat each day rather than showering you with a pantry filled with groceries. But the point is, God will answer… He will meet your needs. His door is always open!
Because of the blood of Jesus… because of the incredible sacrifice of a totally innocent man Who was willing to take our sins and die for them, we can freely ask for anything. Because this man was Jesus Christ in human form, who could not be contained in an earthly grave, the door to our Father’s house is always open. Because of the incredible love of our LORD and Savior, the Holy Spirit is available to each of us…ready to fill our hearts and be our constant companion!
This is the “Good Gift” of Easter. This is the Good Gift we can enjoy all year long… every year… again and again! Ask God for anything, and trust Him to know just how to answer… and to give you “good and perfect gifts” upon request.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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