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April 04, 2023

Day 10: Seek and You Will Find | 12-Day Guided Prayer

Welcome to Day 10 of Our Guided Prayer

Note: This prayer meditation is first and foremost designed to be listened to, so we encourage you to listen to the audio as you read along.

TRANSCRIPT:

Hey Church on the Move family,

Welcome to our 12-day guided prayer podcast.

Today is day 10.

Take a moment to prepare yourself to pray over the next few minutes by putting away distractions, setting aside mental to-do lists, and finding a place where for the next 10 minutes or so you can give yourself entirely to the task of prayer.

See yourself placing any worries or situations outside of your control at the feet of Jesus.

Let’s begin by praying a simple prayer. If you find your mind wandering or it’s difficult to focus simply return to prayer by repeating this phrase. Take a deep breath, rest your thoughts on God and pray:

You will complete the work You’ve begun in me.

Our prayers over the 12 days based on reflections from the life and teachings of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Today we’re continuing our journey through Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

Today we’ll be praying in response to Matthew 7:7-11.

“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? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 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!

If you’ve been following along over the past several days you’ve probably begun to notice a theme.

Jesus is continually inviting His listeners to relate to God as Father.

Saying, “How much more?” How much more is our Father willing to give us good gifts than an earthly father will give good gifts to their children?

God, who is eternal.

God, who is ruler and creator of all.

God, redeemer and restorer.

God, who knows far more than we do, who is moving all of history towards new creation.

This God is your Father.

Some of us had wonderful relationships with our fathers. Some of us didn’t have one to speak of. And then there’s everywhere in between. Here is the unapologetic invitation from Jesus — Allow who God is to shape your idea of a good father. A father who loves you, who will never leave you, who fights for you, provides for you, guides you and corrects you for your good, who speaks blessing over your life.

When we begin to see God as father we give Him access to the deepest part of who we are, to our identity.

We begin to see ourselves the way He sees us. And when we do, we begin wanting what He wants for us, trusting that He loves us and that His way is best.

Now we are going to ask that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we would understand what it means that God is our father based on who Jesus has revealed Him to be. We are going to pray that we would keep the things that are true and reject the things that are false about how we see God. Take a few moments to pray in response to Romans 8:14-16.

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God…

Now, let’s back up a little and take a closer look at verses 7 and 8.

“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.

Our asking, seeking, and knocking is the way that we move toward God in trust. We express our dependence on Him when we go to Him with our requests, relinquishing control, and yielding to His care.

From simple daily needs to our deepest desires, God wants us to bring it all to Him, and because He is a good father He always answers, He always welcomes us in.

Psalm 34:15 says, The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. When the righteous cry out they have the ear of the God of all creation. And those who are in Christ, those who have turned their lives over to Him in trust, are righteous, no question.

Have you neglected to ask for something from God?

Have you given up on seeking Him because you’re afraid He will let you down? Are you standing at the door but have yet to knock for fear that He might not let you in?

We’ve asked the Holy Spirit to help us see God as a good father, to receive the truth about who God is and to reject anything false. Now, let’s bring our requests to our Father, big or small.

To end our time today, let’s pray together.

Jesus, you said that anyone who has seen you has seen the Father. We know the Father because we know You. This isn’t a one time introduction but a lifelong relationship that is sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Father God, we are in awe of Your goodness, of Your mercy, and your power. You meet us where we’re at and you call us to more through Your Son. You will never leave us or forsake us. You see us and You love us. You answer when we call. Thank you for bringing us into Your family, thank you for the sacrifice of Your Son. We love You.

Amen.

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