Holy Boldness

to keep pressing deeper for answers to life’s questions. Too many give up the pursuit easily. Jesus encouraged His followers to be seekers after truth by promising that their pursuit would be rewarded. Those who seek, find. But Jesus, by using three similar words compounded the impact of His urgency upon His followers. The brilliant Bible shcholar , D. A. Carson states it so succinctly, “Ask, seek, knock, three commands, symmet rically repeated, progressively intensive and in the present tense to stir up the persistence and sincerity required.” 19 The way to find true discernment for any situation is to ask for it and to keep asking with a sincere heart, believing that things will be clarified in time. Solutions take effort. Life is full of impassable obstacles and it takes ingenuity and humility to find the way through. Jesus assured his followers that, far from demanding the impossible, He had provided the means for finding one’s way through the maze of confusion and difficulty. He assured them that if they would be diligent to seek, they would most certainly find! But the fact that Jesus gives three exhortations in succession, “ask… seek… knock…” served to underscore the reality that vital information must be sought out. We must ask questions as well as ask the right questions and then ask for the solutions. We must seek for the answers. This often takes both commitment and diligence. Why must we ask to receive and seek to find and knock before the door is opened? Because God is seeking to raise mature sons as any good father would do. Of course God gives good gifts but He is also developing His own nature in His people and He does not raise spoiled children. There is always a process in growth. And so part of God’s developing maturity in His people is a little game called “hide and seek.” “Its the glory of God to conceal a matter, the glory of kings to search it out.” (Proverbs 25:1)

The Nature of a Father

People do not typically appeal to someone whom they do not trust. Evil always attempts to sow doubt and undermine trust in the hearts of believers. If a person does not trust in the goodness of God, if that one does not believe that God rewards those who pursue, they will give up before they have broken through. “Those who come to God must believe that He is, and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

19

Carson, p. 186

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