“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Whenever I see this verse I think of the stained glass window of the sanctuary. It shows Jesus standing at a door holding a lantern and knocking, wearing a red cape over his white robe. It’s hard to see in the photo, but holding the cape together at the neck is a beautiful jeweled clasp that looks for all the world like an iPhone with all it’s apps and icons. It’s not, of course. The stained glass window predates smart phones by quite some time. But I can’t look at it without thinking Jesus has an iPhone.
Likewise, I doubt that this verse was the inspiration for the window. That is much more likely to have been the idea of opening the door to Jesus when he knocks and asks to come into your life. But that’s what I see whenever I read this verse or see that window.
This verse seems to suggest that whatever you ask for will be given to you. All you have to do is ask. But that’s not exactly what it says. It says who ever asks will receive, but not what they will receive. A door will be opened, but it might not lead where you thought it would. Search and you will find something, but you might find something entirely unexpected.
I started going to church because I wanted to improve my relationship with God. I had gone about as far as I could with personal prayer and meditation, so church seemed like a reasonable next step. I was pretty happy with my life otherwise. I had a job. I had fulfilling service commitments. I had a relationship that was healthier than any previous relationship. I had friends. I was just seeking to improve my relationship with God, so I knocked on the door of the church.
The next thing I knew, I was on my way from Treasure Coast Christian Church in Florida to Chapman University in California so that I could begin the educational journey toward becoming an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). I had found something I was definitely not seeking. Fifteen years later I know that this is the best thing that ever happened to me, but it still surprises me that this is where I ended up.
I think this verse should come with a warning label to the effect that asking, seeking and knocking are very likely to change your life entirely, and send it in a direction that you were never expecting. Maybe that label should even say “Watch what you pray for” because the God of my understanding has quite a sense of humor. After all, I only sought to improve my relationship with God - and look where that got me.
God of surprises, we know that you will always give us what we need when we ask for your help and direction, but you do not always give us what we expect. May we accept as blessings all the gifts you give us, even the surprising ones, even the ones we think we do not want. Amen
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