Ask, Seek and Knock

    I had a friend once who came to realize that his life was empty
and there was a need there that could only be filled by God.  The need
was there but the question remained, "How does one find God?"

    In Luke 11:5-10 Jesus said, "Which of you shall have a friend, and
go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of
bread; for a friend of has come to me on his journey, and I have
nothing to set before him.'; and he will answer from within and say,
'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me
in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will
not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his
persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs."

    And I say to 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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be
opened."

    My friend decided to try these verses out because he really wanted
to know if there was any way that God could help him.  He first of all
decided that he had to ask, seek and knock.  This also meant that God
wanted him to be persistent in doing it.  This was necessary as it
helped him to set his priorities or to decide what was really
important to him.

    To ask of God meant that he should be willing to spend some time
in prayer.  The man in the parable wouldn't have won his friend over
if he wasn't willing to spend time in talking and reasoning with him. 
Prayer helped him to express what he really felt about things.  It was
so easy for his thoughts to just whirl round and round in his mind
until he learned to express them out loud.

    Then to seek God seemed to mean that he should be willing to spend
time in reading the scriptures.  How else was he going to find out
what God had to say.  To see how God had dealt with others throughout
time helped him to see what God was like and what He expected from
him.  Likewise his friend responded to his pleas because he left the
comfort of his own home to go out in the darkness to seek out the one
person who could help him.

    He also had to knock to announce to his friend that he was there. 
Even though his friend didn't want to get out of bed, he did because
of the knocking.  Even today, people will drop most anything that they
are doing to answer the door or the telephone.  To hear the ring or a
knock, it gives us a sense of urgency.

    To make a long story short, my friend did find God and is still
serving Him today.  You, too, can find peace and fellowship with Him
if you really want it.  Just ask, seek and knock and be persist.

    If this column has been meaningful to you, we would like to hear
from you.  Please take the time to drop a card to "At The Cross", P.O.
Box 489, Sallisaw, OK 74955.

Frank Cooke