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; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks,
the door will be opened.
— Matthew 7:7-8
The third class of blessing consists of spiritual treasures which are ours by blood atonement but which will not come to us unless we make a determined effort to possess them. To make things clearer let me set forth four propositions touching this blessing of joy which God has set before us:
1. You will get nothing unless you go after it.
God will not force anything on you. As Joshua fought his way into possession of the Promised Land you also must fight for these blessings, meeting and defeating whatever enemies would stand in the way to challenge your right of possession. The land will not come to you; you must go to the land and on up into it by the way of continually looking to God to lead you to breakthroughs.
2. You may have as much as you insist upon having.
"Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you" (Josh. 1:3) said God to Joshua, and this principle runs throughout the entire Bible. The history of Israel is dotted with stories of those who pressed boldly on to claim their possessions; such, for instance, as Caleb who, after the conquest of Canaan, went to Joshua, demanded the mountain Moses had promised him, and got it. Again, when the daughters of Zelophehad stood before Moses and pleaded, "Give unto us . . . a possession among the brethren of our father" (Num. 27:4) their request was granted. Those women received their inheritance, not by the indulgence of Moses but by the command of God whose promise was involved. When our requests are such as honour God we may ask as largely as we will. The more daring the request the more glory accrues to God when the answer comes.
1. You will get nothing unless you go after it.
God will not force anything on you. As Joshua fought his way into possession of the Promised Land you also must fight for these blessings, meeting and defeating whatever enemies would stand in the way to challenge your right of possession. The land will not come to you; you must go to the land and on up into it by the way of continually looking to God to lead you to breakthroughs.
2. You may have as much as you insist upon having.
"Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you" (Josh. 1:3) said God to Joshua, and this principle runs throughout the entire Bible. The history of Israel is dotted with stories of those who pressed boldly on to claim their possessions; such, for instance, as Caleb who, after the conquest of Canaan, went to Joshua, demanded the mountain Moses had promised him, and got it. Again, when the daughters of Zelophehad stood before Moses and pleaded, "Give unto us . . . a possession among the brethren of our father" (Num. 27:4) their request was granted. Those women received their inheritance, not by the indulgence of Moses but by the command of God whose promise was involved. When our requests are such as honour God we may ask as largely as we will. The more daring the request the more glory accrues to God when the answer comes.
A Prayer for Today
Father, when I ask for bread You will not give me a stone. You delight in opening to me the treasures in Christ when I ask, seek and knock.Teach me to be bold and courageous in my asking!
