‘Ask’

‘Ask’

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.“

Matthew 7:7

As Christ worked His way through the Sermon on the Mount, He made some very terse and pithy statements of Divine Truth. We find one such statement before us. We ought to bear in mind that the Sermon on the Mount was His reiteration of the Law. More than that, He was giving the Law its proper spiritual interpretation. Having said that, we ought also to consider that the Law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. Adherence to the Law does not save. It is Christ Who saves. The law is a means to an end, not the end itself. Therefore when Christ says, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.’ He is leading people toward Himself. So He begins, ‘Ask and it will be given you.’ Whom should I ask? I should ask Christ. For what things should I ask? I should ask for the things I need most. What are those things? I need forgiveness for my sinfulness and for my individual sins. I need peace with God. I need advancing purity and deliverance from the ‘body of death’ which hinders and hampers all my efforts toward holiness. I need what Christ Alone can give me. He says that I should ask, and that if I ask I will receive. Would He lie to me? I cannot believe that. He has, thus far, ever been as good as His Word. He has promised that I will receive, if I ask. Therefore, I will never cease to ask. He has promised, I shall receive.

Our Almighty, Living God,
we rejoice that Your Divine Ear is ever open
to the cry of Your weakest saint.
We praise You that when we ask, we will receive,
not because our prayers are powerful,
but because You are Good.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning