Open Sesame

By Alessandra Velsor

“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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your 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! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”—Matthew 7:7–12 (NIV)

You’re probably reading today’s passage and thinking, “Yeah right, He hasn’t always opened that door.” Sometimes the door remains shut, and you’re desperately standing in the hallway all alone wondering if He even hears you. Other times, the door opens but you feel it’s too late or you just walk away in disillusionment. Sometimes, you look around bitterly because you see He has answered their prayers, but not yours.

Let me encourage you with this popular illustration—one you’ve probably seen before as you’ve scrolled through your social media or plastered on a screen somewhere as a teaching tool. The illustration is a picture of a little girl reluctantly giving up her cuddly teddy bear to Jesus, while He’s holding a bigger and better one behind His back. She doesn’t understand why she has to sacrifice her teddy bear, but He knows when she does, she’ll receive something even better—and then it will all make sense to her.

You see, today’s passage is often taken out of context—making Jesus look more like the genie from Aladdin shouting “open sesame”at any of our prayer requests and less like Almighty God, who is Alpha and Omega, and knows the beginning and the end. We remain so laser focused hoping the door opens that perhaps we miss another door down the hallway that’s already opened for us.

Jesus doesn’t necessarily care about how wealthy, successful, or powerful we become on this earth as much as we remain humble, patient, kind, merciful, pure, joyful, and peaceful. So far in Matthew, we’ve been learning about how to grow in kingdom character. The Beatitudes taught us eight characteristics of righteousness. In contrast, we’re also introduced to the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of the Pharisees. In other words, we learn the to-do’s and not to-do’s of kingdom living!

Therefore, if you’ve been praying to win the lottery, be awarded with some incredible prize, or get a promotion or raise in your job, I’m afraid to inform you that though He hears your prayers, granting these requests won’t necessarily bring you closer to Him or bring others to know Him. Although there’s nothing wrong with wanting a promotion or a raise, He’s more interested in growing your character than your ego or pocket. And if He knows those things won’t fulfill His will in your life and on this earth, don’t be surprised if the door wIll then remain shut. Jesus sees our hearts and knows our intentions better than we do ourselves.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”—1 John 5:14 (NIV)

So, how do you get to know His will for you? Let me ask you this: How do you get to know your friend and their interests? The answer is by spending time with them. You need to spend time with Jesus like you spend time with your best friend. In order to know His will, we must ask humbly, seek righteousness in our requests, and knock persistently!

Finally, our Father is a good Father. Let’s go back to the illustration. It may seem as though we’re giving up what we love the most, but we don’t realize what He’s holding behind that closed door that will soon open. So friends, let’s remain faithful in knowing that He knows what’s best in our lives and often His rejection is protection, and His delay is there to only develop our patience.

Pause: Think of a time a door didn’t open or didn’t open right away. Does it make sense now?

Practice: Write down your prayer requests. Next to them, list how they will fulfill His will on this earth (for everyone to know Him and follow Him).

Pray: Father, I am so thankful for all the doors You have opened and shut. Thank You for always having Your best interests for my life, and I am sorry for the times I’ve grown angry and impatient with You. I want to trust You with all my heart because when I look back, You have always shown to be faithful. God, help me be humble, stay pure in my thoughts, show kindness to those around me, and never lose joy. Help me forgive those who have hurt me and forgive me for not always following You all the way. I want to be merciful as You’ve been merciful with me. I love you, Lord. Amen.