Keep at it!

Keep at it!

‭Matthew 7:8 AMP‬

[8] For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.

The verse above is part of the Sermon of Jesus on the mountain. He had chosen his disciples and taken them up the mountain, while the crowd stood at the foot of the mountain to listen to Him. These instructions are for disciples, who have made a decision to surrender their lives to Jesus. They are the ones who can place a demand on the resources that have been made available by virtue of their new citizenship status. Pray, can anyone claim the benefits of a country that s/he is not a citizen of? That would be fraud and could lead to imprisonment or deportation if found. As it is in the physical, so does it apply in the spiritual. Who I am and who I know define what I get. 

The verse above also lays emphasis on needs and responses. The need defines the right response. If I need something, I ask the one who can do that thing for help. If I am looking for something, I ask the one who has that thing, could give it to me, or lead me to the place where I could get it. If I need to get through a particular door, or have access to a locked room, or specific resources, I simply ask for help from the one with the key, or who controls access to the locked room or resources. The response has to match the need. There is no point shouting, screaming or crying if I have not taken advantage of the resources that have been made available for my use. 

I do not ask once, and then forget about it. Persistence in prayer keeps me grounded and dependent on the one who can uphold me to the end. I know quite clearly that He is the One who can help, and I trust Him enough to keep at it until he gives me what I need, when I need it, and in the quantity and quality that line up with His will. I keep asking until my joy is full, and I keep asking, not because God is hard of hearing, but because I see Him as my Father, who wants to have a healthy and strong relationship with me. What are the alternatives? Avoid God because He does not give me what I want? I will rather hold on to God, who cannot fail, than depend on man, who cannot even guarantee the next hour. Keep at it; God will show up. God's time of favour is here.