The first promise to be considered today is found in the New Testament, in Matthew 6:28-33: ” . . . Consider the lilies of the field . . . Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field . . . shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? . . . But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Do we worry about our daily bread, our clothing, how we are going to pay our taxes, rent, etc.? If we do, we doubt Him. David has told us that he has never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread (Psalms 37:25). And Jesus has also said that we need have no thought for the morrow (Matthew 6:34), for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. This, of course, does not mean that we should not make every effort possible to provide things needful for ourselves. But when we have done the best we can, if we are Putting the kingdom of God first, then God will provide what we cannot provide for ourselves. It goes without saying that if we are putting the Kingdom of God first, we will not ask for riches, glory, or any of these earthly things. As one writer ably put it, God has not promised us cake, but He has promised us bread.
Now let us go into the garden and behold the lilies in their purity and beauty. The Scriptures tell us that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. His glory was earthly, whereas God Himself clothes the lilies, trees, grass, and other manifestations of HIS glory. Then Jesus goes on to say in verse 30 that if God so clothes the grass of the field with such loveliness, He shall much more clothe us, His children. He chides us gently, “0 ye of little faith.” We like to dwell hopefully on the knowledge that when we are clothed with immortality, then indeed shall we be clothed with a loveliness that no earthly eye has ever seen. But in connection with these verses Jesus is referring to this life with its cares and worries, and is telling us that He cares for us in every detail of our lives, even when it seems to us, as it did to Job, that He has forgotten us. So then, when depths of suffering or loss seem to engulf us, let us again consider the lilies and Know that God watches over those who are His with an everlasting love that never falters nor fails. He is our Father Now, and for all the ages to come, if we are faithful.
The second promise is found in Matthew 7:7,8: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
Let us note the positiveness of these verses. They do not inform us that Perhaps we will receive, Possibly we will find, and it just Might Be that the door will be opened. They tell us that we shall receive, we Shall find, and the door Will be opened. We have discussed some of these things in preceding articles. But since God repeats His promises over and over in different ways, and with many illustrations to impress them on our minds, it might be useful to further look into the subject before us. If what Jesus says is true, and of course it is, we might ask why it is then that sometimes it seems that we do not receive an answer to our petitions. In the first place, it seems to us that these verses refer initially to spiritual gifts. But, according to other Scriptures, they also include such material things as God in His wisdom sees can be safely entrusted to us, and used for His honor and glory. So, if we seem not to receive an answer to our requests, it may be that we are asking amiss to consume it upon our lusts (James 4:3). Or it may be, as before brought out, that what we ask for would not be good for us. We might be inclined to become heady or “highminded,” and be in danger of losing our immortal crown. So, in order to keep us in the straight and narrow path, God does not always grant us our requests. But we can be certain that if we earnestly and sincerely ask for spiritual gifts, the answer will be forthcoming. And, as is also stressed often in the Scriptures, if We seek the kingdom of heaven first, the necessary things will be added.
Let us now stress this subject of seeking. Seeking means much more than merely looking for something. It means a Diligent search on our part. We must SEEK for the Truth. Where will we find it? In God’s Word. But a mere reading of the Word will not reveal His Truth to us. We must Study to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2nd Timothy 2:15). These verses we are considering also tell us that if we knock, the door shall be opened. We take this to mean that the door is God’s Word which will open to us, revealing its mysteries and secrets, and by means of which we may eventually pass into the kingdom beyond, If we are faithful.
The third promise is found in Matthew 9:29. “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.”
We find the theme of faith all through the Bible. Nothing has ever been accomplished without it, and mighty works have come to pass for those who possessed it (see Hebrews, chapter 11). Jesus opened the physical eyes of the blind, and some of those healed had their spiritual eyes, or understanding, opened also. Very often Jesus addressed the sick with these words: “According to your faith be it unto you.” Sometimes the seeker did not possess as much faith as he knew he should have, and would plead with Jesus: “Lord, I believe, help mine unbelief.” And Jesus answered his prayer.
Many of us stumble through life with blinded spiritual eyes, when they could so easily be opened if we would pray with faith and humbly seek an understanding of God’s Word. But, some may ask, what about our physical eyes (physical troubles), can they not be healed also? We know that we do not possess the gifts of the Holy Spirit today, whereby literal blind eyes may be opened, incurable diseases healed, etc. Much of our illness is brought about by breaking Nature’s laws in the way of food, exercise, rest, etc. In this case, we must bear the penalties of our negligence. But many physical troubles have been greatly helped by faith and prayer. Unwavering faith and prayer. Faith has opened many doors and will continue to do so when we have faith Enough. When we really and truly Know and Feel that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28), then a great burden is lifted from us, and leaves the wonderful healing powers of our bodies free to assist us in physical as well as spiritual ways. But if we HAVE asked in faith believing, and it seems that our requests have not been answered, then we must accept His No likewise with faith, knowing that it is for our best interest that it should be so.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One