The Three-Fold Template
It was 10:17 pm on this windy evening, and I had just woken up from a long nap. My plan for the night was to Netflix and chill until midnight, when I suddenly felt the need to pray. I had been seeking God’s direction on some matters so I immediately obliged. Turned on a piece of Christian music in the background to set the mood for prayer.
I had no idea why the Lord was calling me to fellowship with Him at that time, so I decided to let Him take the lead. I wasn’t going to make any specific requests; instead, I simply asked Him to help me remain in His presence. I also requested scriptures to guide my prayers.
Shortly after singing songs and prayers of thanksgiving, God began to open my eyes to appreciate His magnitude and capacity.
It’s funny how we often think we understand how vast God is, or what He’s capable of! I would bet that you might even burst into tears when you discover just a tiny bit of His greatness. If you truly want to know, ask God to reveal to you. It will undoubtedly deepen your worship experience; trust me.
Back to my story.
As I prayed, God showed me the scripture, Matthew 6:33,
“But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right — the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” — Matthew 6:33(AMP)
I read it aloud and got a deeper understanding of the relationship between asking, seeking, finding, and God’s desire for you and me. Join me as I share this revelation.
In a previous article, I discussed how God desires for us to experience life to the fullest. John 10:10 shows us that it is God’s desire for us to enjoy EVERY GOOD THING life has to offer.
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
In fact, that is why He came. What this means is that while the thief came to steal, kill and destroy, God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to give us life to the fullest, even until it overflows. This translates to God’s desire that we enjoy life—good health, luxury, long life, quality education, a sense of family and belonging, friendship, name it. Never forget this.
Now, let’s elaborate more on Matthew 6:33.
This scripture says that we should first seek the kingdom of God, and ALL THE THINGS we worry about shall be added unto us. I’d like to point out a few things from this scripture.
- The relationship between John 10:10 and Matthew 6:33 shows us that God understands that we need to have a good life.
- As much as we do, or even more, God desires for us to have that good life. “…..I have come that you may have life..”
- To help us achieve this good life, God has offered us a template. “…seek ye first the kingdom of God.”
The journey becomes even more intriguing as I continued to pray, earnestly asking God to help me seek Him. It was during this time that He revealed a third scripture that beautifully connects the dots,
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” — Matthew 7:7–8(NIV)
I’ll focus on seeking and knocking.
SEEK — you shall find.
The Greek translation of seek means to ask, request, ask for, call for, or beg. Remember, God understands that you need (insert whatever you desire), which typically means that you should channel your energy into achieving that desire. But here He is, instructing you to use up that energy on Him first. For a God who claims to desire that you have life to the fullest, isn’t that so much of a demand? Nevertheless, here's what God is actually saying,
“When you seek me first, you will find everything you desire WITHIN ME.”
In other words, the more you long for the kingdom of God (by asking, staying in the place of prayer, studying God’s word, and seeking to please Him), the more of himself He reveals to you, and in Him you will find the ideas, strategies, resources, wisdom, and ability to achieve your earthly desires. This approach will lead to instantaneous results. How wonderful!
All you have to do is seek Him first.
This then leads us to the next instruction: KNOCK.
KNOCK — the door will be open.
“Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. Luke 11:5–8(NIV)
Knocking on a door takes conscious, consistent effort. In this case, it shows God our eagerness and readiness to find Him. Knocking grants us direct access to the kingdom of God, as the above scripture explains. God will open the door to us because of our “shameless audacity” if not because of friendship or fellowship.
Do we see how powerful it is to seek God?
I think so many times, we misconstrue the book of Matthew 7:7 by asking and seeking for our earthly desires. What God actually desires is for us to ask and seek His presence, because everything we think we want on earth can be found in Him. God is everything and everything is His.
Romans 11:36 puts it better.
36 For from Him [all things originate] and through Him [all things live and exist] and to Him are all things [directed]. To Him be glory and honor forever! Amen.
In Jeremiah 33:3, God says to call Him and He will show us great and hidden things to come. This means that the sum of our prayer requests could only be a fragment of what He wants to give to us. The only way to get the fullness of abundant life that God desires is to seek Him first.
I pray that as you read, you receive the understanding and desire to seek God first.
Let me know how this piece has blessed you. Cheers!
