Sometimes there are just phrases that pop out to you. They may not even really be the whole point of the statement, but it still hits a nerve.
I came across a phrase in a familiar scripture the other day that did just that. “One thing I ask of the Lord, this do I seek…” It's a verse I have heard many times in many different contexts. But the phrase struck me one day like it hadn't before.
I ask, AND I seek.
Does that seem redundant? If you ask for it, do you still need to seek it? Is that untrusting? Shouldn’t you just wait on the Lord? It seems to me that it would defeat the purpose of asking and then just go after it yourself. Am I right?
No, it says “Ask” and then “Seek.”
In my stubborn independence, I usually don’t ask for anything. And if I do, I only ask as a last resort. I figure it out myself, do it myself, buy it myself. The idea of asking is hard for me. In most situations, if I ask it is because all other routes have already been exhausted.
But this is an even higher example of our humanness. We so often see life through our finite human perspective. But we are talking about the God of the universe here. He is the creator of all things and the giver of all things.
He tells us to ask. Where else could we go but Him with our desires and our requests? We should willingly get to Him and ask for what is in our heart. Without fear or timidity.
On the other hand, I get so annoyed if someone asks me to do something and then does it themselves. Did they not trust me to do it? Why did I even bother exerting effort if they could do it themselves?
But the Bible says to Ask and Seek.
It is a temptation to ask and wait. To sit on our hands and watch for God to drop the answer in our laps. He does do that sometimes. I won’t say that He doesn’t. And sometimes His answer is to wait and see. To put the thought away for awhile while He accomplishes all that He has planned.
But often it is not out of obedience that we sit. It is out of paralyzing fear or apathy. Either we are afraid of failing, that God will not show up in our effort, or that we don’t want to do any of the work to get to the answer. We want it to be given to us in a pretty package with a list of detailed instructions.
But more often than not, we are called to Ask AND Seek. To ask in confidence, and pursue in faith. To trust that part of the answer to our request will be the strength and discernment to walk toward the answer God is preparing for us. He does not just give the gift, but He also provides the resources to get us there. There are many facets of His grace and generosity.
If we ask for righteousness, God is more than willing to give it. But if we stand still, unwilling to do anything about it, how can we experience the process it takes to get there. Or how about when we ask for forgiveness and restoration but run in the opposite direction, straight back to the things that enslaved us in the first place. Do we then blame God because He didn’t do His part?
We have to ask and seek. While God could pick us up and instantly transport us into the state we ask for; He loves us too much to rob us of the journey. Because the journey is where we learn Him. The journey is where we find Him. Our desires are merely an avenue to reveal himself to us.
So we ask and seek. We ask because He is the giver.
And we seek. We look to the Bible for wisdom and direction. We take steps, even baby ones, away from the things that get in the way. We reach out to receive God’s hand as He leads us. All in God’s strength. All covered by grace and mercy when our efforts fail or when we get carried away doing it on our own.
Because even if the going seems slow, God is answering our request. And He is answering a million questions we didn’t know we had along the way.
It is important to remember that the context of this verse is that the author is asking God for more of His presence, to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Yes, we can ask for things, and answers, and experiences.
But we must be seeking the Lord and His presence more than any of the good things that He can provide. The journey, the asking, the pursuing is all for Him. If we never get what we were asking for, we still end up with more of Him. And that is the ultimate answer. Because in Him all of our desires are fulfilled.
Amen and Amen