Stuff, Thoughts, and Doors

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I woke up and the coffee pot was already on! Thank you, Atomic Habits, for showing me how setting things up ahead of time can lead to successful habits that result in the transformation of a human being!

Once the first cup was poured, I opened up to Luke 11:1-10:

Now Jesus^[a] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” ² And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
³ Give us each day our daily bread,^[b]
4 and forgive us our sins,
    for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

⁵ 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, ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷ 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’? ⁸ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence^[c] he will rise and give him whatever he needs. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

It hit me. Hard. I realized God was showing me something about how His Kingdom works, particularly in verses 9-10, where Jesus says, “Ask, Seek, and Knock.” I realized God has set us up, and so many believers miss out on the abundant life promised (John 10:10), because we stop going deeper. The abundant life is found in the depth of these three verbs: ask, seek, knock. What hit me, perhaps for the first time ever, was the process by which God directs us to experience His goodness.

It starts with an ask. We need to be willing to ask. If we just stop here, already, life will be getting better. How much do we hold back because we feel that God’s not interested in our lives. We ask. He gives. I wonder how much we miss out on because we simply don’t ask. He wants to give us fish and bread (Matthew 7:9).

It goes deeper with search. I believe God said this searching is less about a specific thing, and more about a thought, a process, a way of life. What if we went beyond just asking for things, and decided to search out, to seek His ways. What if we could move from bread for today (ask), to processes that would allow us to plant seed, raise grain, and bake bread, etc (2 Corinthians 9:10). What if we could learn the ways of God, even the thoughts of God (1 Corinthians 2:16).

It goes deeper still with a knock. Here’s where Jesus really dives into something that’s beyond our natural comprehension. He says, if you knock, the door will be opened. This is an invitation to relationship. You knock on a door, because you’re on the outside and you want in. When you finally do come in, you are part of something, part of a family unit. Recently, our friend came over unexpected. She rang the doorbell and opened the door. She came right upstairs and into apartment. We stopped what we were doing and engaged with her. Perhaps, it was because she brought a cute dog with her, but I think it was way more than that. She’s been a good friend for more than 12 years. We’ve been through ups and downs. She’s given us stuff. She’s let us understand her heart and mind. Most importantly, she’s done relationship with us. There’s such a depth to this friendship. It goes beyond our disagreements. It goes beyond our misunderstandings. It goes right to the heart. And that’s what Jesus was inviting into. He says if you’re willing to knock, I’ll let you come upstairs. You can interrupt jump right into intimacy and connection. You can share the stuff, and even the thoughts, that’s great. But what I have for you is something so deep, so profound, so close, so satisfying. I have Myself for you. Would you like to come in and be connected to me?

Like A. B. Simpson said,

Once it was the blessing,
  Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling,
  Now it is His Word;
Once His gift I wanted,
  Now, the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing,
  Now Himself alone.

I did some research and found this discussion as well:

Ask, seek, knock. Notice the three different senses being considered here. Asking is verbal; Christians are to use their mouths and petition God for their needs and desires. And believers are to seek with their minds—this is more than asking; it is a setting of priorities and a focusing of the heart. To knock involves physical movement, one in which the Christian takes action. Although asking and seeking are of great importance, they would be incomplete without knocking. The apostle John said Christians ought not to love in word alone but with actions also (1 John 3:18). In the same way, it’s good to pray and seek God, but if one does not also act in ways that are pleasing to God, all is for naught. It’s no accident that Jesus said believers should love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27).

We get the privilege of engaging our whole selves in all of Him. I don’t see anything wrong with asking. I see no issues with seeking. But where the real depth is at is in the knocking. And that’s why I believe the Lord revealed this progression. Many people start with stuff, but they forget there are thoughts and relationship waiting. Don’t stop at stuff. There’s so much more satisfaction waiting for you when the door opens.