In the Fulness of Time/Part 35

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Three Principles Concerning Prayer. Matthew 7:7-8

The Principle of Dependence: Ask! Matthew 7a, 8a.

“Ask, and it shall be given you… For everyone that asketh receiveth.”

As indicated in the parable of Luke 11:5-9, Jesus gives the practical application of per­sistence in asking when there is a sense of need. The friend knocks at the door at mid­night and insists on borrowing bread: “I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask and it shall be given you.” Another parable on persistence in prayer is given in Luke 18:1-8 where the widow “wearies” a hardened judge by her “continual coming,” and he finally responds to her request. At the outset of that parable, Luke 18:1 says, “And he spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint.” All three words, Ask, seek and knock are in the present tense, “Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.” When the need is urgent, keep asking and you will receive!

The Principle of Desire: Seek! Matthew 7:7b, 8b.

“Seek and ye shall find… and he that seeketh findeth.”

Jesus had already commanded His true disciples to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and then God would add all the “things” (6:33), and this is now en­forced in 7b; 8b. A sense of motivation enters here, and it must be properly directed. In I Kings 3:5-14 Jehovah asked Solomon what his desires were, and when Solomon asked for “an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad” God gave him that, and much, much more! Solomon’s motivation was for the honor of God. The true disciple will “seek those things which are above” (Colossians 3:1). Such seeking takes us back to Matthew 6:19-21 with the admonition, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

The Principle of Decision: Knock! Matthew 7:c, 8:c

“Knock and it shall be opened unto you… and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

The Apostle Paul used “knocking on doors” to discern the will of God. In Acts 16:6-10 they were actively trying to determine which way to go, but “they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia…. they attempted to go into Bythinia, but the Spirit allowed them not.” Finally Paul had the vision of the man of Macedonia, and he said, “Im­mediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them.” Christ is described in Revelation 3:7 as “he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth; and he that shutteth and no man openeth.” It is true that the Lord may use more than one method to open a door when the true disciple knocks, but Jesus said, “To him that keeps on knocking it shall be opened.”

Some words of caution must needs be presented here. There is an old saying that many have used which goes something like this, “I do not know the Lord’s will in this matter, so I am going to be like Gideon and put out the fleece to find out just what God wants me to do.” This, of course, is taken from Judges 6:36-40, but many well-meaning people forget verses 1-35 in their zeal for imitating Gideon and the fleece. In those verses, God had instructed Gideon to offer a kid of the goats as a sacrifice, and fire came down and con­sumed it after which God revealed to Gideon “Go in this thy might and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee?” Then God told Gideon to destroy his father’s idols, and he did so.

Thus, in verses 33-35 Gideon blew a trumpet and gathered the men of war from several tribes. Only then did he put out the fleece on those two occasions, but one thing is certain; it was not to determine the will of God! He had already been told what to do and had begun to prepare for war. The purpose of the sign of the fleece was not to determine God’s will, but to give a sign to God’s people Israel that Gideon was called to be their leader, and to assure them of victory. God even gave a third sign to encourage them, later in the seventh chapter. The sad part is that when we know God’s will and refuse to do it, then God may have to discipline us, and we lose the blessing of obedience! In the long run, in the fulness of time, it is much better to walk daily, in His will for us!

Read Part 36