Do you? Often I forget step two and three.
Matthew 7:7
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. NIV
When we are in trouble, most believers pray. We need help so we ask or we are desperate so we ask.
Many times I seek, but maybe not often enough. I’m not a Bible scholar, so I’m just offering my thoughts. I’ve got the asking thing down, I think. I ask often, though I may not be doing it right. When it comes to seeking, I may be better than some.
When it comes to knocking, I probably fall short compared to most. We each have our own interpretation and how things pertain to our lives. To me, knocking seems to take the action steps. It seems like God wants us to ask, look and do. I think through the doing more is revealed and the effort is honored.
I’m not sure about you, but I think I sometimes miss the answers God sends me. For me they usually come from unlikely sources, like people or places I didn’t expect. If I’m not paying close attention, they are gone. Thankfully God has grace and persistence, but we need to keep asking, seeking, and knocking.
It is easy to see the error of the faithful man in this well-worn story. But, consider, maybe you and I are this man more often then we think.
This a famous story that has many variations;
I Sent Your Row Boat
A terrible storm came into a town and local officials sent out an emergency warning that the riverbanks would soon overflow and flood the nearby homes. They ordered everyone in the town to evacuate immediately.
A faithful Christian man heard the warning and decided to stay, saying to himself, “I will trust God and if I am in danger, then God will send a divine miracle to save me.”
The neighbors came by his house and said to him, “We’re leaving and there is room for you in our car, please come with us!” But the man declined. “I have faith that God will save me.”
As the man stood on his porch watching the water rise up the steps, a man in a canoe paddled by and called to him, “Hurry and come into my canoe, the waters are rising quickly!” But the man again said, “No thanks, God will save me.”
The floodwaters rose higher pouring water into his living room and the man had to retreat to the second floor. A police motorboat came by and saw him at the window. “We will come up and rescue you!” they shouted. But the man refused, waving them off saying, “Use your time to save someone else! I have faith that God will save me!”
The flood waters rose higher and higher and the man had to climb up to his rooftop.
A helicopter spotted him and dropped a rope ladder. A rescue officer came down the ladder and pleaded with the man, “Grab my hand and I will pull you up!” But the man STILL refused, folding his arms tightly to his body. “No thank you! God will save me!”
Shortly after, the house broke up and the floodwaters swept the man away and he drowned.
When in Heaven, the man stood before God and asked, “I put all of my faith in You. Why didn’t You come and save me?”
And God said, “Son, I sent you a warning. I sent you a car. I sent you a canoe. I sent you a motorboat. I sent you a helicopter. What more were you looking for?”
-Unknown
Ever been guilty of this same offense? Please share your story to help others.
Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+7%3A7&version=NIV
Source: https://storiesforpreaching.com/i-sent-you-a-rowboat/
Thank you, God, for Grace, Truth, Love and Laughter,
Darren
(Reminder, this is just a journal of my mistakes, experience and thoughts along my journey to having a closer relationship to God. I do not claim to be an authority on the subject. If you want to know The Way, read The Bible. Find a Bible based church and get connected with other believers in your area.)
What church do I attend? Verve Church in Las Vegas http://vivalaverve.org
P.S. Thank you especially for grace.
Want to see more God Blog posts?:
http://darrenlacroix.com/category/godblog/
Search for yourself: https://www.biblegateway.com