A number of years ago, I succumbed to our kids’ desire for a Dalmatian puppy. We knew they were high strung and had been warned that some were prone to biting. However, we undertook our adventure with positive enthusiasm. While not all Dalmatians have this tendency, ours did. The first bite produced a lawsuit by a neighbor. The second didn’t, but the pain it caused the child was about as intense. Our insurance company told us we needed to put him down. With that news, I saw my wife’s behavior change. While normally she is a reserved, quiet person, she became aggressive, pushing others with large outdoor spaces for the dog to consider taking him before the inevitable, hopefully, where he did not have to be restrained he would not be tempted to hurt others. I had not seen that kind of passion in her before. She had taken a step outside her normal personality on the dog’s behalf.
So, what happens if you’ve asked and are not receiving? Can you step outside your normal self to start seeking in order to find? Only then will you be able execute the next step in this process. There appears to be three parts here as there was in the “asking” process. The key words are: Zēteō (seeking) meaning that you are going to: 1) crave answers through reasoning, striving after, or requiring something by 2) demanding something from someone. Heuriskō (finding) communicates that you 3) have come upon or discovered the thing sought after (often by chance) but normally through persistent examination, scrutiny, and observation. For example, you may you have discovered something about an individual’s character that you did not uncover when you were just “asking.”
With those thoughts in mind, we can simplify “phase two” by saying this:
- First, you must normally go beyond a question to get what you need. Without motivation stronger than just asking, you will not make the discovery. You need to be diligent in your hunt or search to determine what is available to you based on your specific needs or wants.
- Second, you must be bold with the desire of your heart. You must find a way to communicate a sense of urgency to make this other’s common goal and insist on the value of completion.
- The sense of satisfaction you need will appear only when your calculated efforts and expended energies bring to the surface what God wants you to see. Little passion brings little rewards.
When God gives you passion for something you need to apply that passion to action. As you apply the Scripture and enlist His and others’ help in the second step of the process, you will find more of what you are seeking than you would by just asking. I have often heard it said that what Satan means for temptation, God is using for testing. Might our Father be testing you to see if you will become passionate about the plan He conceived for your life? Might Christ be testing you to see if His intercessory prayers for you will be answered by your action? Might the Holy Spirit be waiting next to the power switch to give you everything you need for the desires of your heart? Without your passion, all of your potential will remain just that — potential. Come on my child, don’t quit when you do not receive the answer you seek. Look further; the power switch is just around the corner!
Love, Dad