Here we are at the end of month 9 of the World Race. Time has flown by so quickly. As we approach the end of this journey in the next 2 months we are praying for the Lord to show up more than He ever has before.
In the first half of Matthew 7:7 Jesus says,
“Ask, and it will be given to you…”
So we ask. But it seems a little odd to ask Jesus to show more than He already has, well, because He is always present in the same amount—never more, never less—just always. Part of our asking is not necessarily with expectation that He will somehow double in presence, but instead it is more so that we would notice His presence more and call attention to His omnipresence in ways we have yet to accomplish on this journey. Which is where the other half of Matthew 7:7 comes into play,
“…seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Ask. Seek. Knock.
Antigua, Guatemala has some of the most beautiful and diverse doors I have ever seen.
They are small, big, colorful, dilapidated, bright, mellow, wide, and slender. There are some that beg you to enter and others that warn against it.
Every single door serves a purpose, they all lead you somewhere. We ask where to find specific doors to specific places, both in this physical life (like an amazing coffee shop or restaurant, or in the spiritual realm (like what in the heck will we do when we get home). Once we have asked, we seek, we do everything in our power to find exactly what it is we asked for and we will pass up door after door until we find it. Once we finally reach the door we have asked and searched for we have to knock. This last step is by far the hardest; so hard that many people, including myself, never actually follow through. We get infront of a door and we freeze. Afraid of what actually lay beyond, afraid of what it may require us to do, afraid that we won’t be able to go back. All of those seem like valid fears, but the truth is perfect love casts out all fear.
The Lord hears you asking. He see’s you seeking. Now knock and allow Him to open the door for you. Walk into the life He has for you, no matter what door you stand in front of, don’t be afraid. He knows the number of hairs on your head, the number of days in your life, and He suffered to give you true life. That kind of love doesn’t allow fear to stand in between you and that door.
Go ahead, Knock.
A year and a half ago Robbie and I asked for a door. We asked God for something new, something to radically change our lives and serve His Kingdom. We sought out any and every door we could and found one labeled “The World Race”. It was a door required us to sell everything we owned, to leave the comforts of America for 11 months, to live in community with complete strangers, to trust that He would provide, to turn our ideas about the world and our purpose within it upside down. It required us to truly live out the faith we proclaimed to have. So we knocked. We chose to allow God to show us what we thought we knew we were walking into. Although, we were wrong on so many levels. This door required much of us, but He gave back so much more. Freedom from a decade long struggle with an eating disorder, freedom from addictions, hope in every single situation, eyes to see the world the way He does, a heart for groups of people I wouldn’t have thought twice about before, patience to live with some very different people, grace to extend to others in ways the world looks down upon, forgiveness for myself and others, redemption to a young marriage that was struggling to find its purpose, and faith to trust that God will provide in every single situation if we ask, seek, and have the courage to knock. So I’ll say it again,
Go ahead, Knock.
