Christians: What exactly does Matthew 7:7-8 mean, given personal experiences?

Question

Matthew 7:7-8:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Questions:
1) When I, as an atheist, sat down to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to prove it wrong and foolish…why then, did God reveal Himself to me?

Was it that deep within my heart and soul, I was in search of truth…despite attacking the “strawman” of Christianity that I (and society) had created?

2) Why is it that God does not reveal Himself to others, who adamantly state that they did ask, seek, and knock?

Is it because they do not truly seek truth, only seek to “test God”, seek only what they can get from Him rather than seeking God Himself, or aren’t searching with all their heart and soul?

-
Is the plain reading of this Bible verse and Deuteronomy 4:9 really true and correctly interpreted as such?
-

Deuteronomy 4:9:
“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Answer 1

First, I think that an atheist shouldn't be reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. That's just asking for trouble. Not only does God speak through the words in a convincing way, but His Spirit comes close to you and urges you to accept His invitation to life rather than death. God wants to reveal Himself to anyone who will listen, and you were obviously listening. God never forces Himself on anyone, and He never ignores someone who is looking for Him. If God ignored people who are looking and asking, it would make the death of Jesus pointless. Jesus died for every person who's ever lived, and God wants to apply that death to every person who will accept it. He will never force it on anyone. God was already looking for you. When you turned around and looked for Him, He was right there. He's there for everyone who looks.

Answer 2

We must remember that saving faith is a grace, a gift, and God doesn't give this gift to everyone.
Unless or until He gives it (i.e.until we are born again) we are said to be at enmity with Him, dead in sins and trespasses.
God has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

Just a thought- In Matthew 7:7-8 Jesus refers to "your Father who is in heaven", wouldn't that make this promise exclusive to the children of God?
As for Deuteronomy 4:29 -
If one is truly seeking, searching, and finding it is because God has taken their heart of stone and given them a heart of flesh and drawn them to Himself, something He doesn't do for everyone, and that based on His own will and good pleasure, not any creature merit.

Answer 3

1) I think he revealed himself to you because you were honestly seeking the truth.
2) I think he does reveal himself to everyone in little ways but probably in bigger ways to those who are searching for him.

If we look at little details in our lives we can see that God is involved. If a person is not looking for him they can miss these little signs.

Answer 4

The Lord reveals himself to us every day. The sun comes up, the moon rises, the wind blows, the bird signs...we breath, we believe.
God revealed himself to you because you were ready for Him to come into your heart...you may not have known it, but you were ready.
We are not alive to test our Father, we are here to worship Him.
Trust in the Lord and you will be given what you ask for and what you seek.
Everything isn't given to us at the exact moment we ask for stuff...God and God's plan for each of us comes around in due time...believe and trust in the Lord.

Answer 5

Matthew 4 teaches that it is not right to test God.

Many people are seeking material goods or worldly things but god gives them spiritual gifts.

Answer 6

Do you notice that all of the examples are user-friendly movements, following the regulation. you notice, Christians persist with the bible the place it says we're not to any extent further to stay decrease than the regulation, we are to stay with the help of religion. Romans 4:15-sixteen John sixteen, that the comforter will stay interior believers. in basic terms a Spirit can stay interior a individual. additionally confident the Spirit substitute into already there, in spite of the fact that it substitute into no longer residing interior the believers yet. So, confident the comforter is the Holy Spirit. maximum heavily, Muslims don't think who Jesus relatively is. Jesus is God the Son. John one million:one million interior the commencing up substitute into the be conscious, and the be conscious substitute into with God and the be conscious substitute into God. He substitute into with God interior the commencing up. marvelous right here it says that the be conscious substitute into God. The be conscious all of us comprehend is Jesus. how are you able to stay with somebody you do not have faith? Matthew 20:18-19 Jesus suggested.. they are going to condemn Him to loss of life. and could hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. on the third day he would be raised to existence! The Quran denies the very words of Jesus!

Answer 7

I believe the answer to your question lies in the doctrine of election. In fact of our own human will we do not seek God because the human will is enslaved to sin and dead so therefore it cannot seek God.

Rom. 3:11 - "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God."

Scripture clearly teaches that there are some things a lost person cannot do:

Cannot see - until he first be born again. (John 3:3)
Cannot understand - until he first be given a new nature. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
Cannot come - until he first be effectually called by the Father. (John 6:44-45)

Jesus said in John 6:44-45, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me."



"For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:14)

"Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days."

"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." (Romans 8:29-30)

"For though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, 'THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.'" (Romans 9:11-12)

"What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened;" (Romans 11:7)

"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God." (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

"But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth." (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

"Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity," (2 Timothy 1:9)

"For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory." (2 Timothy 2:10)

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure." (1 Peter 1:1-2)

"Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. For, 'THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE, TO LOVE AND SEE GOOD DAYS, MUST KEEP HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT.'" (1 Peter 3:9-10)


(Mark 13:20)

"Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?" (Luke 18:7)

"And He was saying, 'For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.'" (John 6:65)

"When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed."
(Acts 13:48)

Answer 8

Mat 7:7 ¶ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:


Mat 7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
...

personaly speaking to me it means... God answers all prayers with what we need which is not always what we want.

Answer 9

Thats a tough one, for those of us who tried desperately to hear from God for years.

Think about what you are implying.

This is why religion is so dangerous, it forces perfectly nice human beings to besmirch others in order to maintain their belief.

In order for you to continue to believe in a loving God, you must choose to believe that Atheists who talk about their personal experiences are lying, greedy, arrogant, and in some cases evil. Instead of humans who didn't hear from God.

You must also accept that they deserve eternal punishment and torture, because they didn't hear from God, or asked God to reveal himself with the wrong intentions.

People don't ask God to reveal Himself, with the 'wrong heart', or because they are trying to 'test' God. They ask Him to do it because they need evidence and proof for belief, and desperately want to believe. Believers lie about this constantly because they can't accept the repercussions of a God that chooses not to answer.

The fact that the bible talks about God hardening the hearts of non believers, points to predestination, as does the existence of people like me who didn't hear from God, and people who quote biblical verses stating that our hearts have been waxed. Predestination requires incredible cruelty.

Answer 10

looks to me like you have it figured out. God knows the heart.