December 21

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” —MATTHEW 7:7

One thing we can be sure of is that if we are seeking God, we will find Him. Jesus said in Matthew 7:8, “For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” God does not look at outward appearances, but upon the heart, and when our seeking is genuine, the Spirit of God brings us to Himself. 

The Magi, almost certainly astrologers, were seeking the new born King so they could worship Him. When Herod heard of this, he was greatly disturbed, and called together the chief priests and teachers of the law to ask them where the Christ was to be born. They answered, “In Bethlehem in Judah,” and then quoted from the book of Micah, written 750 years earlier, “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel’.” (Matthew 2:6).

Having waited centuries for the promised Messiah, the Jewish scribes and teachers seemed surprisingly complacent about this, but the Magi discovered they were stepping into a history with very deep roots. Old Testament scripture is critical of astrology, but where there is an earnest desire to seek God and to know Him, the Spirit of God puts us on the right course that leads us to Him. C.S. Lewis said that we have an appetite for the eternal that we cannot satisfy in this life because we were made for another world. The appetite itself is evidence we were made to know God, experience Him, and to love and be loved by Him. 

Sadly, many people are disillusioned and sceptical about Christ for varying reasons. Perhaps something tragic happened, and in their view, should not have happened if God was real. Some have had negative experiences with Christians, and others may not like what is going on in their church. The real issue, however, is that we have to get through to Christ Himself, not religiosity or Christianity. Christ, alone, reconciles us to God, and we can go one of three ways: reject him as King Herod did; be complacent as the scribes and teachers were, or we can accept Him as Lord and King as the Magi did. 

Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). The description of “being lost” places tremendous value on every life. We’re lost because we’re wanted, and in connecting with Christ, we have the ‘Good Shepherd’ who makes us His own.

PRAYER: I pray, Lord, for all those who have had experiences that have discouraged them from accepting You. May their barriers be lifted, and Your Holy Spirit draw them with a desire to come to know You for themselves.

TO REFLECT UPON: Am I living with Christ as my Shepherd?