Love Opens All Doors

Matthew 7:7-11
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

I have the only key to your heart
I can stop you falling apart
Try today, you'll find this way
Come on and give me a chance to say
Let my love open the door
It's all I'm living for
Release yourself from misery
Only one thing's gonna set you free
That's my love

Let My Love Open the Door, Pete Townshend, from Empty Glass, 1980

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Ask, seek, knock; this is a very specific order; ask, seek, knock. There is logic to the sequence. It is important, maybe most important, to ask first before seeking and especially before knocking. Ask first, what is important? What do you want? Is it really worth wanting? Will this build or tear down? Sure, Ecclesiastes reminds us that there's a season for each of these things, but we need to know whether this is the season for building or tearing. If everyone who asks receives as scripture promises, is what we ask for worth receiving? If it's not, what's the bother.

From asking we must then seek. This isn't like the television commercial where we sing the company jingle and what we want magically appears. God is great, but God will not be some magician who snaps a finger and what we want appears. There is seeking involved. So if you ask you will receive, but seeking is important.

In these two elements, asking and seeking, when we are in accord with what God wants for our lives then what happens will happen in accord with what God wants for us too. I would love to promise that it will happen immediately, oh my, I would love to promise that, but that hasn't been my experience. There is still hard work. There is still hard prayer. There is still seeking help when needed. There is bucking the crowd when that's needed too.

But God has the key to our heart. Even when we deny God, God does not deny us. We are God's children even if we reject our Heavenly Father. God can help us from falling apart, God provides the folks who support us and assist us that keep us from falling apart.

Pete sings,

Let my love open the door
It's all I'm living for

Imagine, God lives for us, for relationship with us. God loves us so much he sent his Son so that we might know the extent of God's love and want for us to be close.

We can all agree with Pete, there's only one thing that will set us free.

Friends, ask, seek, and knock--Let God's love open the door.