The Greatness of GodSample

A Call to Persistence

Matthew 7:7-12 sits within a collection of Jesus’ teachings. The theme of His teaching is relationship, specifically what it means to live in right relationship with God and with others. The three verbs plaited together in verses 7-8 show us how to approach God in prayer. To come to Him time and again. So, let’s hold these three strands and learn how to weave them together:

Asking

We often ask questions of God without realizing it. At times, these are shaped by our own perceptions of right or wrong, or the culture we live in. This is the default of humanity. When you dig a little deeper, you find an echo of a question asked in the beginning… Is God good? (Genesis 3:1-7)

However, Jesus invites us to come to the Father, asking not with our own outcomes in mind, or from the unsteady growth of doubting His goodness. Rather, He says, bring your questions and do it confidently in our heavenly Father’s generous and kind nature, trusting the outcome to Him as others of the faith have done before us.

Seeking

Let us come to God with every part of us, not just our words, but our eyes, learning to see His presence among us. This regular practice helps define our understanding of who God is and concurrently gives us Kingdom vision. We will begin to see what He is doing and be ready to participate with Him in seeing others in the same way He lovingly sees us.

Take some time to look at your life. Where is He moving?
Where is He moving in the lives of those around you?
What about in your Nation, where is God at work?

Let’s respond in thanks to Him.

Pause, reflect, and pray

Knocking

From the beginning, God has desired to be in partnership with us. He placed humanity in a garden to work and care for it (Genesis 2:15). So, in prayer, let’s knock on doors to be opened for breakthrough in our city, let’s knock over idols in the lands we live in, and finally, let’s knock down the walls of hostility dividing our nations.

How can I knock on the doors of heaven now?
What do I want to boldly pray over my nation?

Pause and reflect