Matthew 7:7b (NKJV)

Bible Commentary

Matthew 7:7b is a very simple and powerful statement spoken by Jesus Christ. The word “seek” in the Greek means: to worship God, desire, be about. You might remember the story in Luke chapter 2 when Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus, who was 12 years old at the time. They were on their way home from Jerusalem, and they thought He was in the company with them. They had gone a whole day by the time they discovered He wasn’t with them.

Luke 2:45 “So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.”  They had searched for Him for three days when they finally found Him in the temple, listening to the teachers and asking questions.

Luke 2:48-49  So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

⁴⁹ And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

There was a lot of earnest seeking going on in this story. Even before Jesus promised it in Matthew 7:7b, He was fulfilling it in his parents’ lives. They found Jesus when they sought for Him. It took time, but they found Him.

Unlocking the Truth – Seek My Face

Look at what Jesus was doing when his own parents were seeking. He was seeking His Father, the very meaning of “seek”: be about. That’s exactly what Jesus said. I must be about My Father’s business.

We will find Jesus when we seek Him. If He seems silent or we seem to have lost track of Him, let’s look at His example and be about our Father’s business. If it seems to be taking a long period of time to find, then let’s be about our Father’s business and keep doing what we know to do–what He instructed us the last time we heard from Him.

The Bible is full of words of guidance and instruction. Let’s look at a time when King David was desperate to hear from God.

Psalm 27:7-8 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. ⁸ When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

God told David, “Seek My face.” Note He instructed David to seek His face, and not His hand. If our focus is only on God’s hand–seeking only what He can give us–we are missing the best God has to offer, which is Himself.

It’s certainly good to ask for things, just as the first part of Matthew 7:7 says, but as we mature in our spiritual development let us seek His face and go deeper into Christ. God told Abraham in Genesis 15:1, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

God wants all of us, and He wants to give us all of Him, but if we have tunnel vision and we’re only looking at His hand in our desperation for things, we’re missing the deeper beauty and blessing—the exceedingly great reward.

We discover the true riches of His grace in personal fellowship as we seek Him. Seek Jesus Christ by studying the Bible verse of Matthew 7:7b.