Every day we encourage all our staff and workers to meditate on a "daily scripture" from the SEAMIST monthly calendar and we use that scripture for staff devotions.  This morning our devotion was brought by a young woman named Syrabbie.  She is just 19 years old, and only two years old in the Lord, but she has pretty amazing insight into God's Word.

She shared from Luke 11:9-10 about keeping on asking, seeking, and knocking.  One of her observations was that prayer does not change God or His mind, but it changes us.  I was blessed again to hear this, and was reminded of many of my own struggles with faith and what it really means to live by faith.

"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks." (Luke 11:9-10)

Getting what you want from God is a process!  The epistle of James reminds us that sometimes when we ask, "you don't get it because your whole motive is wrong - you want only what will give you pleasure." (James 4:3 NLT).  We do not always start out asking God for what He wills or for what is best for us.  We will never get what we want until we want what God will!   We must keep on asking until WE are changed enough to ask according to GOD'S will!  Keep on asking!

Not only do we have to persevere in asking, but we have to get busy and go looking for what we are asking for!  We must seek it!  More than that, we must keep on seeking it until we find it.  I have to confess I have sometimes been guilty of standing around idly waiting for God to give me what I want while doing nothing about the need myself.  Most times we have a part to play in finding what we want from God!  I wonder how many times the Lord has had to stand around waiting for me to do my part!

We have to get busy seeking His answers, looking for the things we want from God.  While we are seeking, the Holy Spirit can prepare us and guide us to the place and time when we can receive what we are asking for.  The road through this life has many turns and twists, you cannot see very far ahead!  Don't stand by the side of the road waiting for the blessing, it is just up ahead waiting around the next curve or over the next mountain!  Keep on looking!

Finally, we have to knock on some doors.  There are barriers all along the way, but faith overcomes!  Every day of our lives God allows trials and troubles to challenge us.  However, these struggles are allowed so that we can grow up more in Christ and become more like Him.  God wants us to be more than we can be without Him, and that means overcoming our own limits and trying things we cannot do.

The answers to our prayers often wait behind closed doors that seem impossible to open.  Meantime, we often times stand around outside letting fear and doubt keep us from boldly knocking on those doors!  The Lord wants us to work with Him to overcome the obstacles, not by might or power, but by His Spirit!  We have to knock, we have to act, we have to believe His Word and trust that when we overcome our fear and doubt and start to move ahead, He will keep His promises to us and we will overcome!  If one door does not open, find another one.  Keep on knocking!

Faith waits on God, but not by standing to the side waiting for the windows of heaven to open over our heads.  Faith puts us to work.  Genuine faith compels us to say "I believe this so much that I am going to do something about it!"  The something God wants us to do usually is more than we can do in our own strength, but that is so we can experience more of Him. 

We will always get what we want when we want what God wants! God's Word says so, "We can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for." (1 John 5:14-15 NLT)

Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.  Don't give up!  You will always get what you want from God!