And After That, What's Next To Do?

"...seek, and you will find..." (Luke 11:9)

Seek if you have not found.  "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss..." (James 4:3).  If you ask for things from life instead of from God, "you ask amiss";  that is, you ask out of your desire for self-fulfillment.  The more you fulfill yourself the less you will seek God.  "...seek, and you will find...."  Get to work - narrow you focus and interests to this one thing.  Have you ever sought God with your whole heart, or have you simply given Him a feeble cry after some emotionally painful experience?  "...seek, [focus,] and you will find...."

"Ho!  Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.."  (Isaiah 55:1).  Are you thirsty, or complacent and indifferent - so satisfied with your own experience that you want nothing more of God?  Experience  is a doorway, not a final goal.  Beware of building your faith on experience, or your life will not ring true and will only sound the note of a critical spirit.  Remember that you can never give another person what you have found, but you can cause him to have a desire for it.

"...knock, and it will be opened to you"  (Luke 11:9).  "Draw near to God..." (James 4:8).  Knock - the door is closed, and your heartbeat races as you knock.  "Cleanse your hands..." (4:8).  Knock a bit louder - you begin to find that you are dirty.  "...purify your hearts..." (4:8).  It is becoming even more personal - you are desperate and serious now - you will do anything.  "Lament..." (4:9).  Have you ever lamented, expressing your sorrow before God for the condition of you inner life?  There is no thread of self-pity left, only the heart-rending difficulty and amazement which comes from seeing what kind of person you really are.  "Humble yourselves..." (4:10).  It is a humbling experience to knock at God's door - you have to knock with the crucified thief.  "...to him who knocks it will be opened" (Luke 11:10).

~ Luke 11:9-10
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

~ James 4:3
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

~ Isaiah 55:1
 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

~ James 4:8-10
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.


I will be the first to admit that I have asked God for materialistic things in my own selfishness and personal gain.  I wish I could say that I never have, but unfortunately I have.  Fortunately we have a loving, wonderful, and forgiving God that will forgive us for such careless selfishness.  Anyone who has looked a prayer this way has missed what a Christian should be, including myself.  Although God may want you to have these things, it should never be your focus in life.  He has made in abundantly clear that our "treasures" should not be stored on earth and our live should never consist of things we possess.  I will most definitely be conscious of what I pray for.  I, never again, want to feel like the only time I cry out for God is in a time of tragedy or sorrow.  I want to praise God for all things in my life in the most unselfish way possible. 

I will always be "thirsty" for God!  I am so ashamed of myself, looking back, at so many times that I have been complacent in my life.  As my relationship grows with Him, I will never be "satisfied" enough to not want God.  I feel like I have done this so many times in my life, and never realized it until now.  Once again, I have to say, I am so thankful that we have such an amazing and merciful God, that he forgives such shameful behavior.  I am knock at God's door!  I have become so desperate for Him, that I have realized how "dirty" my life has been.  I am humbling myself before God, I am "lamenting" my self before him for my ways.  Please Lord, forgive me for my thoughtless selfish desires.  I want to humble myself, and live my life for you!  Thank you for your mercy!