Unclaimed Freight

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Mt 7:7-8 AV)

 So much goes unclaimed because we do not ask.  We understand there are qualifiers to the promise above. We know if we regard iniquity in our hearts, the LORD will not hear us.  We know if we ask for something that is contrary to the perfect will of God, then He will not entertain that request.  If we seek God’s intervention with something that is not according to His plan as it is at that moment, then we will not receive that for which we petition Him.  Having stated the exceptions to the rule, the promise still stands.  If we ask, we shall receive.  If it is according to His perfect will for us, then if we ask, it shall come to pass.  Even if the odds were not almost perfect, we should still ask.  We lack what we need or desire because we cannot accept by faith the grace of God as manifested through answered prayer.  If we would simply believe in the God who created and saved us, seeking His hand in the affairs of this life, perhaps we would see more of God’s work and love.

As I sit and write, I cannot help but think we don’t pray enough. We really don’t.  We have made such a task or event out of it that we do not instinctively converse with our God.  We scurry about like mice in a barn, going to and fro without so much of a thought of an omnipresent God who does not need to be scheduled into our busy lives.  We know God is there.  We know this as true.  In a practical way, we neglect this truth.  God is always there.  He always has an ear for our voice.  He is waiting for us to stop long enough to have a conversation.  Most of what we acquire we perceive it to have come by way of our own efforts.  We work hard and earn what we need.  Little does it dawn on us that what we need comes by way of God’s grace.  That being said, if what we have seems to come by our own efforts, how much more could there be if we asked the LORD?

Jesus speaks these words for this purpose.  He wants us to realize the power of God and the divine willingness to bless all who love Him and come to Him.  The point Jesus is trying to make is that much of what our lives could be filled with lays dormant because we have failed to ask.  The LORD desires His best for us, but He is not going to spoil us and give us what we desire without us asking for it.  The promise above is an incredible one.  We get fixated on the times we prayed and the LORD did not answer as we had hoped.  But that is not fair.  God may not have answered as we hoped, but He did answer.  Putting that on God is not right. He loves us far more than we could ever imagine.  The promise above is meant as a promise that builds faith.  Once we take Jesus at His word and pray as we should, we will see exactly what He is talking about.  God will answer if we ask.  The asking is all up to us.