Reflections

September 23 2022

Ask, Seek, and Knock

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In the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5 to 7, Jesus delivers a series of teachings at the beginning of his ministry. This block is usually called The Sermon on the Mount and is Jesus’ longest discourse in the New Testament. The Sermon on the Mount was not delivered primarily to the multitudes but to Jesus’ four first disciples: Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John (the sons of Zebedee). Jesus started his ministry by teaching about the ethics of the Kingdom of God, the identity of the citizens of the Kingdom, spiritual practices and life in the community. And in chapter 7, Jesus makes one of the boldest statements: Ask, Seek, and Knock.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7

The passage is about prayer. The boldness in Jesus’ words is remarkable. There is no room for doubts. God truly answers prayers. He is a caring Father. He is an ever-present caring Father who deeply cares for you.

Here Jesus gives three commands: ask, seek and knock. The commands are followed by some analogies that help us understand God’s provision to his children when they ask. The promise here is that all of these actions will receive a response.

Ask, and it will be given to you

We ask for what we wish. We ask for what we want. But, how do we know what we want is God’s will for us? Or, what if there is something better than what we wish for? The good thing is that there is nothing that we cannot ask for. Since in God’s presence there is freedom, we can freely ask God whatever is in our hearts. The only Biblical guidelines are:

Ask in Jesus’ name (John 14:13)
Ask with and in faith (Matthew 21:22)
Ask while abiding in Jesus and his word (John 15:7)
Ask according to God’s will (1 John 5:14-15)

Seek, and you will find

We seek what we think we are missing. You seek a job because you are missing a job. You seek to finish school because you are missing the education you need to grow your career. So, Jesus commanded his disciples to seek so they could find. What should they seek? What were they missing?

Well, they were not to seek self-promotion, the praise of men or treasures on earth. Jesus had been clear that this was not how things should go for them. They’ve been called to represent and serve the Kingdom of God. So, then, what should they seek? A couple of verses before this section, Jesus clarified what they should seek. Jesus told them to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:31-33).

God delights in meeting the needs of his people. So, you don’t need to worry about that. He has your back. Instead, God wants you to seek his Kingdom first and his righteousness. That is something we cannot miss.

Knock, and it will be opened to you

The last action of Matthew 7 is knocking. But wait a minute. The fact that you are knocking on a door doesn’t mean that you will open the door. The verse says, “knock, and it will be opened to you.” It doesn’t say, “knock and open.” It says, “knock.” That’s it.

But also, we knock for that from which we feel ourselves shut out. You can trust that when you ask God to show you the way you should go and when you seek him and follow his will, he will show you the door you should knock on.

However, quite often, we need to wait for the door to be opened. That waiting is crucial. In the waiting is when people quit. In the waiting is when people lose hope. The waiting is when people leave where they are supposed to be to go after what looks easier.

If you feel shut out, don’t become bitter. Knock on that door again. Ask God first, seek his presence, align your desires to his, make plans according to God’s master plan and then knock. Knock once and wait. Knock twice and wait. Keep on knocking. Don’t force your way in. Wait. If God has told you this is where you belong, that this is the right door, just knock and wait for him to open it for you.

When Jesus asks, seeks and knocks

Revelation 3:20 says:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20

It’s a healthy spiritual habit to take time every day to remember the time when God knocked at your door. That precious moment when you felt his presence in your heart calling you to come to him. When that happened, did he force himself in? Did he give up on knocking? Did he leave you alone and just move on? No, he didn’t. He kept on knocking, kept on waiting, kept on calling, kept on asking you to come to him.

Ultimately, you can see how Jesus’ teaching on prayer in Matthew 7:7 could also be used as an analogy of what God has done to bring you closer. His wish is for you to come to him, so he asks and calls your name. If you would just stop and listen! He was missing your presence at his table, so he went out to seek for you. He felt you shut him out of your life, but he is eager to return and dwell with you. Your heart is his place. It is his home.

May 30 2020

Hate & Racism

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Racism. It is a poison that kills society; a generational curse that, somehow, we haven’t been able to break free from.

The events around the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis this past May 25th are still echoing the urgent need to address this issue as individuals and as communities. I thought today I would share with you one experience of racism my dad and I lived a couple of years ago here in Canada just for being brown Latinos.

My family, my parents, and my extended family were camping in a lake in British Columbia. One day, and for no reason, two young men started insulting and verbally abusing my 70’s year old dad, wanting him to get out of the campground. When I noticed that my dad was nowhere to be seen for a while, I went to look for him. I found him being bullied by these two guys, just because he “looked” Arabic (I think I do too), and because he spoke in a different language (Spanish). I can’t remember exactly what they said, but they were referring to his look and accent. When I found him and saw what was going on, I have to confess I was livid. Dozens of thoughts crossed by my head. “Bring it on, let’s go and resolve this outside,” was one of them. But, in that precise moment, the Holy Spirit came to me and gave me the boldness to fight this injustice with courage and words that just “came” to me. I confronted the behaviour of these two guys, even when another by-stander offered his help to beat my dad and me up. I called it as it is, hateful racism. I took my dad with me, and we brought the situation to the campground manager, who then gave these two guys the boot. After that, I brought my dad to a cabin with my mom, and we prayed to God, asking to come and rescue us. In a safe country, for the first time, I felt in danger.

We felt humiliated. However, we decided to forgive and ask the Father for help. The Lord provided that help. That same day, the parents of who was by then my brother-in-law showed us that we are not alone in times like that. The Lord moved them to accommodate us in their house nearby so we could be safe that night.

I still remember the faces of those two guys in British Columbia. I never knew their names, and I don’t care anymore. To me, their names were hate and racism, and both always go hand in hand.

My prayer is that, as the church, we would speak up in these times and speak against injustice, hate and racism against anyone who has a different skin colour, ethnicity or a different accent. To seek the Kingdom of God and its justice is to defend life always. It is to fight hate and racism with our voices, with prayer, and with Christian action. Even the smallest candle can disperse the darkness.

May 22 2020

A Prayer for Peace in the Storm

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As I write these lines, I’m contemplating one of those great prairies storm through my window. I love thunderstorms. I always did, even growing up in Argentina, in a place very similar to Saskatchewan. While listening to the wind, I remember the time when Jesus calmed the storm in the gospels (Mt. 8:23-27; Mk. 4:35-41; Lk. 8:22-25). And there’s so much we can learn from this episode.

On the one hand, in the storm, we see Jesus in all his humanity: tired and needing some rest. The three gospel’s narratives say that the Lord was sound asleep when this windstorm broke off. But in this same passage, we see Jesus’ divinity in all his glory, rebuking the wind and speaking to the raging sea: “Peace! Be still.” (v. 39).

On the other hand, even though most preachers would use this Scripture to point out the lack of faith and the fear of the disciples, I think here we find one of the most simple and powerful prayers in the Scriptures: “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” (Mat. 8:25).

In its original Greek, the prayer starts with the most cited Christological title in the New Testament: Kyrios (Lord). This title presents the sovereignty, power and government of Jesus Christ over all creation. The significance of Kyrios is evident in the passage we are meditating on today.

The second Greek word that composes this short prayer is sōson, which means “to save, heal or rescue.” Without a doubt, the context of fear, uncertainty, and danger that the disciples were facing brought forth a collective supplication: Save us! This is the kind of prayer that comes out of a heart that is wholly surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus.

The third and final word in this prayer is apollymetha, which means “we are perishing.” This was the kind of word you would use when facing the risk of total destruction.
This is the prayer you would raise to God when you have no clue how to get out of the mess you are in. It’s the prayer of the desperate.

It’s interesting to note that in Genesis 1:2, we read of the Holy Spirit sweeping over the waters (CEB). The image described by Moses in the creation account is also of a dangerous storm: dark over the deep sea (CEB), no firm ground at sight (“the earth was without form and void,” ASV). In the Bible, the sea represents chaos, uncertainty, and confusion, precisely what the disciples were facing that night when heading across Lake Galilee. But, on both occasions, God spoke. In the creation account, to disperse the darkness and bring in the light. And in the Gospels, to stop the furious sea and bring forth peace.

In this time and hour, the whole world is facing maybe the most turbulent storm of the beginning of this century: a global pandemic of a novel virus, economic collapse, and other “waves” that are making the boat of many to be swamped. Christians are not exempt, but the difference is that we are facing this storm together and with the Lord in our boat. We know that, as he promised us, he will take us to the other side of this.

Today I would like to invite you to have the same prayer of the disciples: Lord, save me, that I perish. Let me encourage you to entirely yield your life to the Lord, trusting that he is with you. In the middle of all this chaos, he will bring us peace and rescue us and will show, once again, that he is Lord over all.

June 7 2019

Finding a Rescuer in Times of Need

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Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked.
You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?
Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalms 43 – NIV)

The book of Psalms has been written for our instruction. Through this book, you can learn about the character of God; you can learn about yourself and life. The Psalms help us think and feel in a way that is God-pleasing and good for our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical wellness.

Also, do you know that there is a Psalm for every occasion? Let me share with you some examples:

Loneliness: “I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalms 25:16)
Regret: “I am sorry for my sin” (Psalms 38:18)
Discouragement and turmoil: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Psalms 42:5)
Peace: “In peace I will both lie down and sleep” (Psalms 4:8)
Etc.

And the list goes on and on. The Psalms could be a great source of peace and joy for you when going through a season of darkness in your life.

Today I want to share with you some thoughts based on Psalms 43.

To give us some context, let’s read first verse 5, part a.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?

Without a doubt, the writer of this piece of poetry was navigating really tough times. This verse shows us that even Christians get downcast and discouraged.

The writer of this Psalm belonged to a group of priest in Israel whose specific task was to sing to the Lord. The fact that they were serving God didn’t mean that they were immune to sufferings and afflictions.

If the Lord Jesus Himself had to walk through the valley of shadow of death and experienced great suffering on his way to the Cross, how much more we, mere men, would have to face sufferings of different sorts in life. During His life, Jesus had to face betrayals, indifference, poverty and homelessness (remember that He was a Galilean… and Galilee in those times was filled with political turmoil, violence, and poverty), among others. His own brothers rejected Him. His earthly father passed away when He was still a teenager. When talking about suffering, Jesus knew it all!

1) When you’re suffering persecution and injustice, plead to God!

Let us read now verses 1 and 2.

Vindicate me, my God, and plead my cause against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked. You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?

These two verses show us that many times in life we would feel that many things are just not fair. Those feelings of injustice will come and will try to conquer you. When you give in to these kinds of thoughts, you will feel more agitated and angry towards God, yourself or others. This state of mind is very harmful and will deteriorate your physical, emotional and spiritual wellness.

The remedy to the feelings of injustice is to turn to God and plead to Him. You need to know Him as your Father, as your loving Father. God is love, and He will vindicate you. He will fight for you. Just come to Him with a repented heart and give Him your sorrows, your pain, your sins, and your guilt. In exchange, He will give you His love, His peace, His grace and His forgiveness.

It is a good spiritual exercise to talk to God and bring before Him your cause. Even you feel like He is “not answering” when you pray and talk to God about your situation, you are actually removing all that from your heart and giving it to Him.

The writer of this Psalm describes those who are persecuting him. They are unfaithful, deceitful and wicked. Maybe you have met people like that, and they have hurt you deeply. God knows. Maybe you have tried to cover your hurting with addictions, or you have been just trying to avoid facing it, but you need to. You need to bring it all to God. You need to tell Him your story.

The Psalmist knows what to do. He turns to God and pleads to Him for His rescue. The problem is that many of us are looking after the wrong rescuers. My friend, you can’t rescue yourself from depression and hurt. Jesus Christ is the only Rescuer who has the power to rescue you from sin and death and give you everlasting life.

But, as verse 2 says, He is also our ever-present stronghold. He won’t let you down.

The writer of this poem was in such turmoil that he even believed that God had rejected him, but that was not the case, as it is shown in verse 5.

The enemy was oppressing him and because of that, he was in constant mourning. Can you name your enemies? Are you living in a constant state of mourning?

The remedy to the feelings of injustice is to turn to God and plead to Him.Click To Tweet

2) When feeling down, lift yourself up by letting God lead you!

Let us read now verses 3 and 4.

Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

When you are feeling oppressed and depressed, you need to realize that you are not alone. You “feel” alone because the darkness has covered you and you can’t see God around you. The writer of this poem knew it well, and because of that, he asks God to send His light and His faithful care.

God is inviting you to see His light. He wants you to experience His faithful care. He takes good care of His children. Let Him take care of you and ask Him to shed His light upon you so you can see your circumstances differently.

It is interesting to note that the only way you can change your circumstances is by letting God lifting yourself up. For that, you will need to seek His light (His Word – “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105) and His faithful care, which other versions translate as “Truth.”

Sometimes this is a hard thing to do because, generally speaking, we don’t like to listen. You need to learn to listen to God and to listen to those that God has put in your way. They want the best for you because God wants the best for you. That is His faithful care.

If you follow God’s light and His truth and care then He will lead you to His “holy mountain,” a biblical reference to His Presence, that Spiritual life that Jesus promised to all of those that would follow Him. God’s invitation is this: Come and dwell with me.

Verse 4 shows us that for all this, we will need to be determined. The Psalmist decided to stop feeling sorry for himself and took responsibility for his life by deciding to go to the altar of God (God’s Presence, your life with God, prayer, Bible meditation, joining a church) and start praising God again. He knows that in doing so, he would find the joy and the delight he needs in life.

3) When you are feeling discouraged and hopeless, put your hope in your Savior!

Finally, let us read verse 5 again.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

The finals “why’s” were not meant as a “why is this happening to me?” but rather as a “why should I continue feeling this way?” The Psalmist found the peace and hope he needed in God’s everlasting arms. How he did it? Let me you so you can also do the same today.

The Psalmist found out that more important than listening to your soul is to talk to your soul. He understood that the soul could become a really bad advisor. After receiving God’s light and instruction, he spoke to his soul and commanded his soul to put its hope in God. Stop putting your hopes in something or someone else. Put your hope in God.

Even in his wording, you can see hope in action: “For I will yet praise Him.” He knew it wasn’t over. Nothing was lost yet. After putting his hope in God, he realized there was much to live yet. He had the assignment of living for God and to praise Him.

My friend, you and I, share the same assignment. We have been created to praise God. I want to invite you today to take an in-depth look at your life. Do you need a Savior? Do you need a Rescuer? Do you need a Stronghold? Aren’t you tired of facing your enemies? Aren’t you tired of living in darkness? Come to His light and grab Jesus’ hand. He wants to lift you up and change your view of life. Would you let Him?