Matthew 7:7-8 – Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (NIV)

My horse, Frank, is a nosy parker. "Nosy parker" is an old expression for one who has to have their nose into everybody else's business. Whenever I am working in the corral or out on the property where he is grazing, his nose is not far behind me. Sometimes, it's under my arm. Other times, it's hanging over my shoulder or snuffling by my feet. Frank is interested in everything I am doing and wants to be part of it. As a human, at times, I find this annoying as he is in the way. On the other hand, I find it delightful, as I consider it an honour that he wants to be with me and know everything about what I'm doing. It also reminds me of an important spiritual truth. God wants us to be nosy parkers in regards to Him, His Word, and His ways.

God wants us to be asking Him constantly what He is up to in our world and how we can best be part of it. He also wants us to inquire of Him about everything that concerns us so that He might show us His answers and the best pathways for our lives.

He desires that we constantly be nosy about seeking Him as a person and who He is, and finding out more about His character and motives, ethics and values, so that we may become more and more like Him in thought, word, and deed.

In addition, we are to be so nosy about Him that we earnestly and consistently knock upon the doors of heaven in our search for Christian understanding and the purposes He has for each and every one of our lives and the greater glory of His kingdom.

Yes, being a nosy parker in regards to God and His ways delights Him; it honours Him. When we apply the things that He gives to us and walk through the doors that He opens for us, when we wholeheartedly embrace the good gifts He offers, our lives and the lives of those around us are forever enriched and transformed in the most dynamic and glorious ways: His ways.

So today, let us get nosy with God, and remember that when we truly ask, seek, and knock with faith and expectation, we will definitely receive, find, and have the way opened, for God has so decreed it.

Prayer: Father God, grant us hearts, minds, and spirits that ask and seek and knock with all diligence at the throne of grace. May we be the nosiest of the nosiest when it comes to wanting to know more about You and Your ways, and to yearning for and accepting the good gifts that You promise, that our lives, and indeed, our whole world might become more and more like You. In the wonderful name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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