“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you, if his 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!” [Matthew 6:7-11]
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” [Matthew 6:33]
“I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer,” [Matthew 21:21-22]
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” [Matthew 6:33]
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of him,” [1 John 5:14-15]
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” [Matthew 6:33]
Prayer is many things –not the least of which is a great learning experience. When we approach God in faith, God teaches us the value of complete dependence on Him. The intimacy that we share with Him in prayer and by reading His Word allows us to see the world through His eyes. Our perceptions and perspective change and reveal the deepest parts of our own hearts. If you’re not one who prays frequently, God sends situations into your life to give you opportunities to talk to Him! He wants us to learn dependency and humility and that’s not easy. We are tempted to think that God and church are just one facet of our lives -that we can go about “life as usual” most of the time and then return to the “Christian thing” when we need it. But disciples of Jesus are called to take up a cross and follow Him. They are called to surrender all that they have and all whom they know so that Christ is first in their lives and becomes Master of all. And when we consider Who Jesus really is and what He has truly done for us, we are broken, humbled and resigned to His will. This realization may not come overnight. Or you may realize it, drift away and find yourself reminded once more. But a Christian who fully embraces the meaning of “Lord” will abandon himself/herself to wherever Jesus leads. This is why Jesus told us to seek His Kingdom FIRST. We tend to think, “Oh, I already did that…,” thinking that our conversion to Christ is the end of the intent to “seek first.” But the truth is, that was only the beginning.
“Seeking first” is a daily need. From the moment we wake up until the time we lay down again, are we seeking first? If the Kingdom isn’t your first passion, then you’re probably a little confused. Are you a Christian who scratches his head and perpetually asks, “Why won’t God answer my prayers?” It’s a “Lord” issue. Yes, Jesus did promise to answer our prayers that could move mountains if we believe and do not doubt. But “mountain moving” prayers are always connected with doing God’s will first. In short, I’ve got to want what He wants first –and I can’t tell Him all about what I want and then try to baptize my desires by saying, “Oh, and by the way, God, if you give me what I want, I’ll then bless you…” I’m reminded of a time when the Missouri lottery jackpot had reached hundreds of millions of dollars and a news journalist was interviewing people who were buying tickets and dreaming of winning. She asked each person, “What will you do with the money if you win?” There were several answers, mostly having to do with paying off debt and living life easy. But I’ll never forget the response of a very elderly gentleman who said, “I’ve already promised God that if He gives me the money, then I’ll build Him a huge cathedral…” The man’s heart was revealed by what he said. We know that God owns everything and He even told David that He had no need of such things. But often our prayers reflect the same mistake: “God, I want. I really want. And if You give me what I want, then I’ll give You what I think You need.” Seeking the Kingdom first simply doesn’t work that way.
In the first place, we have to recognize our need for God first: We need Him more than money, more than the next milestone, more than ANYTHING. Second, our love for Him compels us to ask the life-altering question, “Lord, what do you want first?” If we are hungry to know Him better we will be driven to read His Word. We won’t ever be able to get enough of Him in reading of the Word and in spending time with Him in prayer. Our need for Him will drive us to prayer that prays for what He wants first. If Jesus is my Master and He has purchased me with His own blood… and if I am no longer my own but now I fully belong to Him, then what I want doesn’t matter as much as it once did. I exchange my desire for this world and its “treasures” for lasting treasure that can only come as a result of seeking His will first. My prayer life turns from the question, “What IS Your will?” and I find myself knowing His will and then praying, “May Your will be done FIRST. Then all the other things that I want or need… well, Lord… they are all in Your hands. Please help me with the things I need but even more than that, help me to keep Your needs first in my life, Lord. What You desire is far more important to me than what I want.” When we pray like this, we quit looking back. We stop comparing ourselves to others and what they have. We lose ourselves in the love of God and find ourselves pleading for God’s love for others. We are lost in His love, and all the things of this world fade away. We live knowing that God will provide all that we need because we are seeking His Kingdom FIRST. Take it from me, someone who has tried to quit the ministry at least three times: When God owns you, He really OWNS YOU… I have argued with God, I have fought with God, and I have even screamed at God. But that didn’t get me very far. He is Master and I am servant. But from experience, it is far better to say, “Lord, whatever You want is what I want,” than to try and tell God how He should behave. The course of my life’s journey is not mine to determine. But I am confident when I approach the throne of grace because He is more than able to answer my prayers in my time of need. And by God’s grace, the greatest lesson I learn while on my knees is that Jesus is Lord and He deserves honor, praise and respect. I will pray for the lost to be saved. I will pray for His Kingdom to come. I will pray for the saints. I will pray for Jesus’ Return. I will pray for the countries and peoples of the world who have never heard the Gospel –that they might hear. And I will pray for more disciples to be made. And I will pray for more workers for the harvest. And I will pray for what He wants again and again and again. Because God wants us to be serious about our Father’s business. And the greatest change that occurs while I’m on my knees… is the change in my own heart. I now want what God wants. And NOW, I have whatever I ask for in prayer, because it IS according to His will and I AM seeking the Kingdom of God FIRST. “All to Jesus, I surrender. All to Him I freely give… I surrender ALL.” Pray for the Kingdom first, and all the other needs of our lives will be taken care of as well. Put the horse back in front of the cart again and pray as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus always prayed for His Father’s will FIRST.
Pray with confidence,
George