Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. [Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)]
Our pastor once told the story of a recently married parishioner. After a long day of travel, he and his new wife finally arrived at their hotel. The groom hoisted the bride in his arms and opened the door to their deluxe suite. It had a beautiful view of the beach, a small kitchenette, and an elaborate entertainment system. What it didn’t appear to have was a bed! They finally checked the sofa and discovered it was a hide-a-bed. They were exhausted and, deciding it was too late to complain, the newlyweds unfolded the bed and settled in. Like most hide-a-beds, this one had a thin mattress and two supporting bars that seemed to dig into whatever part of the body was downward. The couple tossed and turned and, needless to say, their honeymoon night did not meet their expectations.
The following morning, the irate groom went to the front desk to complain. The desk clerk inquired if he had opened the door right by the entry. “You mean the closet?” asked the groom. “No,” replied the clerk, “I mean the door to the bedroom!” Feeling foolish, the groom returned to the suite, opened the door, and found a beautifully appointed bedroom. Flowers were on the dresser, a now warm bottle of champagne sat in a cooler, and chocolates lay on the pillow. These gifts, along with a king-sized bed, had been waiting for him behind a door that he’d never opened.
Whether the Pastor’s story is true or just a Sunday sermon parable doesn’t matter. What’s important are the questions it leaves us to answer. Have we been thwarted by closed doors when all we needed to do was open them? Are there opportunities we’ve missed simply because we weren’t looking for them? Have we concluded the answer is “No!” before we’ve even asked? Have we settled for less when God has given us more? Have we been disappointed simply because we didn’t take the time to look for hidden blessings?
If we don’t seek them out, we’ll miss the many gifts God has given us. What door is waiting to be opened today?
Heaven is full of answers to prayers for which no one ever bothered to ask. [Billy Graham]
For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. … But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears because they hear. [Matthew 13:13,16 (NLT)]
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When I was young, back in the 1950s, sex education pretty much consisted of some talk about bees pollinating flowers. Married couples on television didn’t sleep in the same bed and husbands always seemed completely surprised when wives announced a baby was arriving. As a little girl, I naively thought marriage (not intercourse) was what produced babies and that God put babies in a woman’s tummy once she was married.
Printed on the tee-shirt were Paul’s words from Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things.” While the shirt, part of a new line of Christian workout wear, would be a great conversation starter at the gym, the message is somewhat misleading. I could wear that shirt and say those words but, try as I might, I’d still be unable to bench press 450 pounds! That, however, is not why the message is misleading. It’s because the rest and most important part of Paul’s words—“through Christ who strengthens me”—are missing. Paul’s words are not words of self-sufficiency but of God’s all-sufficiency. The apostle was not boasting of himself and his strength but rather of God’s strength and power that enable us to do His work.
The elderly Abraham and Sarah laughed at the thought of the two of them making a child and the old Jewish priest Zechariah doubted his barren wife could conceive. Yet, a thirteen-year old virgin believed that she would miraculously bear a son and a pagan Roman officer believed Jesus could heal his servant with just a word.
Upon receiving an invitation from a business acquaintance to a “Celebrate Life” picnic, my first response was “Who died?” The words “It is just for fun!” along with the promise of pony rides, moonwalk, magician and games seemed rather odd for a Celebration of Life. That this was the 19th such picnic further confused me. Fortunately, accompanying the invitation was a brief note explaining that nineteen years ago his son had overcome serious health issues and every year since his family has gathered with friends and family to celebrate. Rather than celebrating the life of someone who died, they were celebrating that he lived!
