3/1/12 - Revisiting "Ask, Seek, and Knock"

Matthew 7:7-11

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.

"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets."
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So over the time I've been writing this message, I have written about this passage three times. That gives me an opportunity to look at my own spiritual development over the years.

On 7/22/08, I said:

If you don’t feel your faith is deep enough, ask God to help build your faith. If you’re looking for an answer to a difficult question, ask God to reveal the answer to you. If you are in a time of trouble, cast all your anxieties upon God, and just seek him. It really is that simple. Sure, the situations can be extremely difficult and the questions can be extremely tough, but remember – God can overcome all of that instantly. If we seek Him faithfully, we will NEVER be disappointed.

On 3/4/09, I said:

Developing/increasing your faith and marching toward spiritual maturity doesn’t require great intellect, or some special gift only available to few. For years I had thought that was the case, and I was continually frustrated that I couldn’t unlock the answers to spiritual questions. What I've been able to see in the last year is that when I take those questions to God (i.e., seek Him), God usually reveals the answers to me.

On 8/24/10, I said:

The more I think about these verses, the more precious they are to me.

At the moment, I think of them mostly in terms of my relationship with Christ. I want a deeper relationship than what I have. I want to increase my connection with Christ, who is already living inside me. I want to live "life in the sprit." A lot of people want those things. But ... wanting isn't enough though. I need to ask, seek, and knock. I need to engage Christ - through prayer, adoration, the Sacraments, and the Word.

Specifically with the Word -- I need to pay close attention to what He desires from His people -- which is for us to remain in Him, and to obey His commandments. The first, most important, and best way to do this is through love. Christ says to love one another. St. Paul tells us that above everything is faith, hope, and love (ie, the theological virtues), and that the greatest of these is love.

Today ...

I agree with all of the above. I can also see the transition from being concerned about what what I am seeking from Christ to beginning to be concerned with what He is seeking from me. I think that's a step in the right direction. As I walk through this lent, I want to focus more and more on that point, because that's what a close relationship with Christ is all about. To do that, I need to spend less time talking to God about myself and what I think I need, and more time just sitting in front of Him, and letting Him teach me what He is about.