So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you.
For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.
Luke 11:9-10 AMPC
Does this scripture not define the very essence of spiritual impudence? In light of my recent encounter with the Lord (yes, I’m still on the glitchy CD miracle), I realized that Jesus intends for this kind of encounter to be normal Christianity. These two verses make it absolutely clear that it is the spiritually impudent who are rewarded.
In search of confirmation of what I was seeing, I revisited Martha’s booklet, The Secret to Answered Prayer. Sure enough, I found what I was looking for on page 18:
“Many ask who don’t seek. Many seek who give up and fail to knock.
“Asking is the beginning of prayer, what I need, what I want of God. What I want to tell Him. What I want Him to hear. Asking is needing the Ear of God.
“Seeking is to understand, listening to the Spirit to identify the problem, the solution, and God’s promise, what I need to hear. Seeking is wanting the Voice of God.
“Knocking is the great vigorous desire of the Holy Spirit as He takes over our intercession. He is the power of insistence. His is the holy boldness beyond human longing. Knocking is pursuing the Presence of God.”
I don’t struggle with the asking anymore. I ask and ask and ask some more. Seeking is also fast becoming my new normal. It’s easier all the time to quiet my mind and heart in order to hear His Voice, and not my own. But knocking? That remains an abnormality to my walk, and I believe that’s just my hideous pride.
KNOCKING OUT MY PRIDE
With the glitchy CD, my need was far greater than my pride and won out. But all too often, God has to bring me to the precipice because my pride overrides my need. My pride says, “Why should I have to keep knocking? God knows what I need, and if He doesn’t give it to me, then it’s because He doesn’t really care about my need.” My pride will always, always, always malign God’s goodness! My pride promotes the absolute worst about God, and that will never change. I must simply reckon it dead and gone. Then the impudent faith of Jesus can rise in me.
I want to be a champion at knocking! I want knuckles that are gnarled and calloused due to daily, even hourly, knocking at the door. Because if “knocking is pursuing the Presence of God,” then the door opening rewards us with that Presence. And as anyone who’s ever experienced the manifest Presence of God can attest, it just doesn’t get any better than that. His Presence is everything!
Wow! If this from ‘The Secret to Answered Prayer’ was a surge of confirmation, Jen, then please add this from today’s ‘Morning’ devotional by C. Spurgeon: Morning “Therefore will the Lord wait that He may be gracious unto you.” Isaiah 30:18 ‘God often delays in answering prayer. We have several instances of this in sacred Scripture. Jacob did not get the blessing from the angel until near the dawn of day–he had to wrestle all night for it. The poor woman of Syrophoenicia was answered not a word for a long while. Paul besought the Lord thrice that “the thorn… Read more »
Thank you, Jennifer, not only for sharing your insights and experiences, but for reminding us of what Martha says in her booklet . . . always thought that seeking was the ultimate — this is good news, knocking: “the great vigorous desire of the Holy Spirit . . . ”
I remember another series, think it’s The Wind of the Spirit, where she says that, really, all we need is the Holy Spirit.
“Gnarled knuckles” – like that!
Love
Oh Jennifer, this is so good and so very important. Thank you.
My pride will always, always, always malign God’s goodness!
How true!
Because if “knocking is pursuing the Presence of God,” then the door opening rewards us with that Presence.
Amen!
“Knocking” is telling God plainly that He reigns, it is making God God, and telling Him that you need His reigning. Pride will not knock and only the misery of need “knocks on Heavens’doors”.
xxx
Oh Jennifer this goes along with Martha’s teaching on Warfare in this months C/D. I know this isn’t a coincidence but the revelation that the Lord is giving to all of you. Bless you for leading me to see how “MY PRIDE” will promote the absolute worst about God…..I join you in reckoning it dead and gone. I also want to be a champion at knocking.
Thank you for blessing all of us with desiring the impudent faith of Jesus to ARISE!!!!!