More often than not, we err on the side of making God and his promises smaller than they are. Simply put, we aim too low. We aim too low when we come to Scripture and read God’s promises to us.
Take the following passage:
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, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him. 12 Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7-12)
If you’ve been around a church for any amount of time (and even if you haven’t), there’s a good chance you’ve heard this passage preached from a stage, mentioned in a small group meeting, or given as some form of well-meaning encouragement in the foyer after a service. “Ask, and it will be given. Seek, and you will find…” are some of the most quoted verses in Scripture.
“More often than not, we err on the side of making God and his promises smaller than they are. Simply put, we aim too low.”
I love that they are so familiar to so many, but I wish more people saw them for the unbelievable promise that they are.
Here’s what I mean: Jesus is not your vending machine.
Yet, that’s usually how these verses are invoked. Every time we quote these words thinking that way, we make the promise far smaller than what it actually says. Jesus promises us so much more than our desires here; he promises us himself.
What it doesn’t mean:
This passage is quoted all the time, but it doesn’t mean that Jesus will give you whatever you want. Context really matters. We can’t turn Jesus’ words here into a sound bite. This is not an Instagram story. It’s actually the invitation at the end of a two-chapter-long sermon.
When warped in this way, this passage gets used to justify all kinds of misunderstandings. If I want it, God must want me to have it too. If I just pray hard enough, God will give me what I ask for.
“God gives good gifts to his children. This is most certainly true, but that is not the same as giving us what we want.”
When it’s misunderstood this way, we’re set up to misunderstand other aspects of life. What happens when we don’t get that job we were desperately hoping for? What happens when our loved one still dies, despite the fact that we’ve been praying really hard?
If we think that this passage promises us that Jesus will always give us the desires of our heart, then we accept a theology too shallow to weather the storms of life. Nowhere in the Bible does it promise that we will be given whatever we ask for in prayer. All over the Bible, we are told that those who follow Christ will do so through moments of great suffering.
God gives good gifts to his children. This is most certainly true, but that is not the same as giving us what we want. Anyone with a child immediately knows this to be true. My child asks for things all the time that are not good for her. It would be completely unloving, even dangerous at times, to always give her what she wants. Even though we’re adults, it is arrogant of us to assume we know enough about the future of our lives to always know what is best for us.
So what does it mean?
To understand the turn that takes place in verse 7, we need to recall the setting of the sermon and what Jesus has just said right before it. Remember, Jesus has pulled his disciples close to him, separated them from the surrounding crowd of onlookers. So, in a sense, he has a primary and a secondary audience.
He has been speaking directly to his disciples, people who are already kingdom citizens, about how they should live in the kingdom, how to be a visible witness to gospel transformation. By doing this with the crowd of onlookers, Jesus has given those who are not yet kingdom citizens a description of the kingdom he is announcing.
As we get very near the end of his sermon, Jesus takes a turn. Jesus has spent his entire sermon describing the kind of kingdom that he will begin with his own death, sacrifice, and resurrection. The “good things” that he mentions in these verses are the gifts of that kingdom. And for those who would enter this kingdom, Jesus says come.
So Jesus addresses all who are present:
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. (Matt. 7:7-8)
So, what does this passage guarantee? Simply this: anyone who genuinely seeks the good news of the kingdom will most certainly receive it.
“God is a good Father who gives the good gift of the kingdom to anyone that wants to receive it. ”
Notice the progression of the verbs in this passage. It moves from ask—an initial inquiry, to seek—a proactive searching, to knock—a request to enter. All who desire to enter the kingdom are welcome to do so. Jesus is clear for any who are listening that all who would ask may come in.
But, you may ask, how can this be? Does he not say the exact opposite only a few verses later? In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”
The answer to this is simple. All who earnestly desire the kingdom and the king may enter, but many with insincere hearts will merely want the rewards of the kingdom. God, who knows all and sees all, is not fooled by words that have no grounding in the reality of one’s heart and life.
God is a good Father who gives the good gift of the kingdom to anyone that wants to receive it. If human fathers, which are far from perfect, would not give a stone instead of bread, how much more would the perfect Father give this good gift to his children?
In one moment, Jesus has just invited the whole crowd to enter into the kingdom and demonstrated for his disciples how they should speak to others about the gospel. The invitation is truly open for all.
Application
Be quick to invite all who will listen into the kingdom. That’s not the same as inviting them to church. It’s inviting them into a new way of life, made possible by Christ’s sacrifice for us. We should be quick to share the gospel with anyone who will listen. Jesus was. He modeled it for his disciples often, and he calls all of us to do it. Speaking the gospel to people is the most loving act of kindness we can provide to our neighbor.
Maybe you hear this story and consider yourself part of the latter crowd, the ones listening on as Jesus talks to his disciples. You’re not yet sitting at Jesus’ feet, but you’re hearing this description of the kingdom, and there’s just something about it.
His invitation is as good today as it was then. Ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. You may just be asking right now, or you may be earnestly seeking something. All who desire to enter the kingdom of God can do so. If that’s you, find a local church, and begin that earnest search. We have a whole list here on our website. Or, feel free to email me, and I’ll be overjoyed to have that conversation with you.
The good things of the kingdom have been made freely available to all who will simply surrender to Christ’s rule and reign.
Keelan Cook is a Missiology professor and the Associate Director of the Center for Great Commission Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His primary areas of ministry focus include urban missiology, church planting, church revitalization, and unreached people groups.
We’ll send one succinct weekly email
with the best news, events, and info
for churches in the Houston area.
Photo by Tavi White on Unsplash
Women are busy—maybe now more than ever. Here are simple ways to encourage and equip women to develop Christ-centered relationships, study God’s word, and train others to do the same.