Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Matthew 7:7
In the first episode of this series, we discussed the first part of the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 7:7, that is, ask and it shall be given to you. In this episode, we’ll consider the second aspect, that is, seek, and ye shall find.
Seeking is a higher level that goes beyond asking. Seeking involves you doing something further than asking – you use your talents and other resources at your disposal to find what you are searching for, just like a man who has lost something employs all his sense organs in search for that thing. Or a person who has lost something in the dark employs a torchlight to find it.
To better understand this sentence from Jesus, we shall consider two passages in the Holy Scriptures that illustrate the two aspects of seeking.
Seeking for lost treasures
The first aspect is seen in the parable of the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep (Matthew 18:10-14; Luke 15:4-7)
“Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
Another illustration is found in Luke 15: 8 – “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she loses one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she finds it?”
People consider different things to mean treasures for them. The woman with the issue of blood (haemorrhage) was searching for healing, so neither the crowd nor the disciples of Jesus could stop her from finding the power at the edge of Christ’s garment.
Seeking for valuable gems
The second aspect is in Matthew 13:44-46. It says,
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it”
There are certain treasures hidden in secret places that you can’t find until you seek them. You must stand up, take a torchlight, and go in search of them. Certain knowledge, certain revelations must be sought for before they can be found.
Colossians 3:1 – If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
From the illustrations above, we observe that the attitude of seeking often has two significances: The first involves seeking to recover a lost item that you consider valuable. The second significance is that you’re searching for valuable things; you’re seeking precious items that can’t be easily found. You are hunting for a game in the forest, so, you take all the risks and have a laser focus until the game is caught and brought home.
Seeking involves focus and carefulness
When you seek, you are very careful, goal-oriented, results-driven, focused and captivated by what you want. When you seek to understand a thing, that is all you want at that time, other things can wait until you’ve found what you’re searching for.
You seek with your whole heart
Also, when seeking, you seek with your whole heart. You don’t seek with distractions. The Bible says that through desire, a man having separated himself seeks and intermeddles with all wisdom (Proverbs 18:1). So, when you’re truly searching for something, you are fully focused on that thing that you have lost or that you want to discover. You must seek with absolute care and application.
Deuteronomy 4:29 “But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”
2 Chronicles 11:16 – And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 15:2 – And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
Matthew 13:45 – 46 – Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went, and sold all that he had, and bought it.
In Matthew 6:33, God asks us to see first for the kingdom of God because that is the most important thing to seek after.
You seek after God as the ONLY treasure in your life. Psalm 9:10.
You seek for a good wife
He that finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from God (Proverbs 18:22) means that a good wife must be sought for. And seeing that a prudent (wise) wife comes from God (Proverbs 19:14), it then means that the place to God in search of a good prudent wife is in God. Because as you seek the Lord, He will also direct you to the good wife with whom you can accomplish the purpose for your creation. Because at the end of the day, God has a purpose for marriage. You don’t ask God for a wife; you seek God for her so you can find her in God (Proverbs 19:14).
Seek with assurance that answers are guaranteed
Seek with the assurance that Christ has promised answers to anyone that seeks. In Matthew 7:8, He says, “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.“
Proverbs 8:17 – I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
2 Chronicles 7:14 – If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
So, what are the valuable things that you have lost? And what are the goodly pearls and other treasures you want? It is time to seek them through God. You shall recover all that you have lost. And you’ll find God and all that you seek this season, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
God bless and keep you.
