'Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.'" Matthew 7 : 7 - 12
When Ashley first said that we should live desiring Gods good for us, it seemed like common sense. I obviously don't desire harm to come to me! But the more that I thought about it, it didn't seem so simple. I would love to say that I desire Gods good for me, but I fall into a trap when the going gets tough. If a prayer is not answered, or if it's answered in a way that I don't see helpful, I feel betrayed and let down by God; I easily forget that He has a plan for my life. Ashley mentioned that her trap was wanting to succeed alone and only call on God as a last resort.
I know we all have these traps that we fall into, whether we feel we don't deserve to ask God for anything, or even believe that He doesn't exist, but by falling into these traps, we are not living the life God chose for us. He wants us to thrive, to live the best possible life out there, and the only way for us to experience this life is by desiring God.
We show desire by asking, seeking, and knocking. And God tells us that we will find! One way to read this passage is that we should ask (pray), seek (read the bible), and knock (build community with believers), and although I think these are incredibly important, I think this is calling us to action. Desperately searching sets action aflame. When we desperately desire to be in relationship with God, to live the best possible life, we can't help but have that to lead us to action.
What would it be like if we really desired Gods good for us? Will you choose to desperately seek?
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