"And he said to them, 'Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence(also, persistence) he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, 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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" Luke 11: 5-13
Seek, and we will find, knock and it will be opened. In this passage Christ promises us that the Father will respond to our searching. We won't be left alone.
But what does it mean to seek God? How do we go about doing that? Why should we try?
In the passage above not only do we get the promise that the Father will respond to our seeking but it also gives us our first clue as to how we should seek. The passage mentions impudence, which can also be translated as persistence. We are to be persistent in our seeking. This isn't a one and done type of thing, we are supposed to seek the Father with persistence and regularity if we are to expect an answer.
Another important part of seeking our Father is quiet. The ability to just be still.
"God is our refuge and strength. a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. 'Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!' The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah" (Psalm 46)
To be still we must understand the basics presented in this Psalm. God is our shelter and our strength. We need not rely upon our own reserves of strength because He freely offers us His. But in order to receive this we need to let God do in our lives. This passage is very clear in listing off a great deal of things that God will do. This isn't our own labor, and we need to be able to separate what we should be doing from what God is indeed doing for us. We need to lay down our tools and weapons, be at peace and be still.
Let God do, let Him be our fortress. Let Him be our strength.
There is still more to being quiet. And why that is so important.
We need to be able to hear God when he speaks to us. We need that time of quiet to listen.
"And he said, go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.' And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said. 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" (1 Kings 19: 11-13)
Quiet and patience is important because God isn't always going to loudly interject into our lives. Sure, there are times when He does, but God desires us to seek him, so he patiently waits for us to do so. We have to be willing to step aside from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, remove the distractions, and listen. To wait for the whisper of the voice we recognize as our Father's. He is patient, and He is waiting for us.
"I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me." (Hosea 5:15)
In this verse of Hosea we see the Father waiting for his people to turn again and seek after his face. This passage is part of God's warning of judgment, but here at the end we see the promise he always holds out to us.
"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
This is yet another promise of the same. God is waiting for us. This passage includes another promise though. Whenever we again turn to Him and earnestly seek, He will be there waiting for us, and willing to help. God wants to see us healed. So we must turn from our earthly ways and seek God and his kingdom with our whole hearts if we wish to hear.
“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.” (1 Chronicles 28:9-10)
Just to reiterate, we need to be seeking without our whole heart and mind. We cannot be double minded in this, we need to give Him our best, and our everything.
Now I want to mention the most important part of all of this. We need to seek in faith. God's word has been left to us with so many examples of His faithfulness. What God has said, God will do, we need to trust this and in faith expect that these truths remain. When we ask without faith, we won't get a response, however when we trust what God has told us there is nothing that will be held back.
There is no greater example to show this that I know than Hebrews chapter 11:
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." (Hebrews 11) So, brothers and sisters. Seek God with your whole heart, be still, listen, and trust, God's word will not return to him empty.
