Ask and Receive || Keep On! #1

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8

This passage talks about what God will give to you. If you continue to ask, then you’ll receive. If you continue to search, then you’ll find it. If you continue to knock, the door will open. It’s a verse that sounds straightforward but has a deeper meaning. This leads me to our brand-new series, “Keep On.”

Over the following 3-4 Bible study blogs, we will examine what it means to ask and receive, seek and find, and knock and open. It’ll start with some word studies and then go into scriptures that use these words to help us build upon the context of what Jesus is teaching us. My goal for this series is to help you keep going to God in prayer for anything you need.

In this blog, we’ll look at the concepts of asking and receiving. Let’s get into it.

To ask is the Greek verb aiteó (ahee – teh’ – o)¸ which means to ask or request for yourself. It’s used to represent a demand, request, or petition. To receive is the Greek verb didómi (did’-o-mee), meaning to give literally or figuratively.

The first thing that jumps out at me is the individuality of the ask. Often, Christianity is about serving others and putting the needs and requests of others above our own. Still, Jesus is teaching us to ask for something that is for us. To request something for your life and to continuously do so. We aren’t to do it once and expect it to magically appear. What we ask for or request can change daily, so the things we continuously go to God about are the things God will give us. We’ll receive what God gives either literally, through tangible worldly items, or figuratively, through mental or spiritual practices.

To summarize: When we ask God for something, we’re requesting something on our behalf. When we receive something from God, we’ll get it figuratively or literally. Let’s talk about how the Bible shows this.

Matthew 5:39-44

39          But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

40          If you are sued in court and your shirt taken from you, give your coat too.

41          If a soldier demands that carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

42          Give to those who ask and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

43          “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.

44          But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Verse 42 shows us the duality between asking and receiving. Those who do not have something will ask. It may be a one-time thing, or it may be continually. Our response is what Jesus is focusing on here. We will give or lend if someone asks for something from us. Yet, giving in this sense is more intense than just a simple transfer of property. What I see is giving that goes above and beyond the request. It’s not a response to the request but fulfilling it and then some. How often do we do that? When someone asks you for $5, do you give them $5 or $10? If someone asks you for food, do you give them a snack or a meal? The giving that goes above and beyond the request makes God’s way of life more radical than worldly life. It feels upside-down to us, just as it did to the audience Jesus is preaching to.

Any Messiah that turned the other cheek was not the military leader they wanted to lead the revolt against Rome. When looking for someone to fight for you, you want someone to show battle strategies, fighting mindsets, and smack-talk against your opponent. Jesus said if they strike one side, you reveal the other. They wanted retaliation, but Jesus provided submission. Jesus wants us to use a new, radical response to injustice: give up our rights freely.

“God, how can I help out those oppressed around me?” Surrender what you know and walk in the footsteps of those around you. “God, how I can understand someone’s struggles?” Surrender your helpful mindset and walk in their helpless wanderings. Showing justice and mercy to others accomplishes more than demanding it for yourself.

Asking God for something to help you can often be found in our interactions with others. We learn a lot about ourselves through how we treat others. If we treat others with respect, then we can respect ourselves better. If we treat others compassionately, we can be more compassionate to ourselves. God will give these things through experiences. It may not be tangible, but it could be situational or circumstantial. Asking God for something that helps us continuously allows God to use someone else to bless us.

Listen to how the Israelites understood the same principle Jesus teaches in Matthew.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11

7            “But if there are any poor Israelites in your town when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.

8            Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need.

9            Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin.

10          Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

11          There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with the other Israelites in need.

God wants the Israelites to help the poor among them. To give and lend generously to meet whatever requests they have. God taught the Israelites how to give. Jesus taught his audience how to give. We learn their stance on giving, and they practice what they preach. When we request things for our lives, God is ready to give and give above and beyond our requests. God will not only meet our request but bless us overabundantly. Why? So, we can meet other’s requests like ours were met.

Here’s a story of the Israelites begging for a King; God gave them what they wanted.

Acts 13:21

21          Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the trible of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.

This isn’t the Saul who turned to Paul, but King Saul, who reigned before King David. King Saul was the people’s choice for a king.

1 Samuel 8:5-6

5            “Look,” they told him, “you are old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

6            Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance.

The people were ready to move on from Samuel and his lineage and wanted something new. They had a goal in mind based on what they wanted. They wanted a king to judge them like all the other nations have. They wanted the ruler. They received the judgment. Yet, their main problem was disobeying God. A ruler who judges like the other nations (who don’t follow YHWH) wouldn’t solve their problems. They wanted someone who allowed them to continue to be them instead of letting God appoint someone who could change them.

They asked for someone to lead them in a way that would allow them to keep doing what they were doing. It didn’t matter to them, regardless of if it was the way God wanted. They wanted their comfort. They wanted their familiarity. They might have to change if they wanted God to find someone. They were so hard-hearted to this that God allowed them to have what they wanted. God gave them Saul, the people’s king. Saul’s reign didn’t work, though. Saul hid. He feared failure, what others might think, and how to proceed. Saul was the people’s choice (tall, dark, and handsome), but he wasn’t a spiritual man and didn’t have a spiritual background. Saul’s reign was continuously threatened by the man with a heart like God, David. God knew that David would be next. He appointed Samuel to go and search for David, finding the next true king of Israel.

God will give us what we continuously ask. If it’s a part of his plan, we will see the blessings among blessings that come from it. If not, God will prepare the following life path for when we submit that what we wanted didn’t work. God gives us the choice to follow him or to follow us, and no matter what we choose, he will still love us. If it doesn’t work out, we may face consequences and run towards our heavenly Father for comfort, solace, and guidance. When we don’t listen to our parent’s or elders’ guidance and do what we think is right, aren’t there consequences if it doesn’t work? Of course, there is. God operates in the same capacity. God doesn’t force us down his path because that’s not how a healthy relationship works. God wants us to choose him. God loves it when we submit our will to his path and allow him to guide us.

Father God, thank you for the different things you give to us. Whether they are physical or spiritual, we know we are blessed by your gifts. Please help us to ask for what we need in all things. Let us not give up on what we are asking for because you want us to continuously ask, not in the short-term, but in the long-term. If what we ask for isn’t a part of your path, help us find what is and help us navigate back to the path you created. It’s in your name, we pray. Amen.