God's Psychology II: The Law of Seeking and Receiving

“The Americans will do the right thing …eventually. After they have tried everything else.”
--Winston Churchill

This is the second part of a series called God’s Psychology. In these little studies, based upon the lectionary readings for Propers 18 and 19 in the PB Lectionary we are stating two powerful psychological tools that God uses in moving us towards spiritual maturity.

In the first part, I reflected on the observation that we easily take even valuable things for granted…until we lose them. This is the Law of Regret, and the theme song is Joni Mitchel’s “We don’t know what we’ve got till it's gone.” The bumper sticker for this was seen in Midland, Texas in the late 80’s, reflecting on the economic depression there brought about by the collapse of the oil industry: "Dear God, let it happen again. This time we promise not to flush it all away!”

The second part is the Law of Seeking and Receiving. What this law says is that God withholds the really important stuff until we feel the need and want it badly. God waits until a deep need is discerned and emptiness experienced before we will receive his provision.

I guess it doesn’t take a nuclear physicist to know this truism. Consider these examples: 1. Food: one doesn’t really want food unless one is hungry. On the other hand, never go food shopping when you are. 2. Air. All you have to do to really want air is to hold your breath for 30 seconds. 3. Water. Water never tastes so good until you’re thirsty. Before that, water is boring, but when you’re thirsty, there is nothing better. Extrapolating, you will see that God sometimes withholds what he has to give until we really seek it. This would include things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, godliness and self-control… that sort of thing.

God won’t apply the ointment until we feel the itch: God doesn’t give everything all at once. He loves his children, but he doesn’t spoil them. He does not cast pearls before swine. He withholds what is precious until we can receive it. And we won’t receive it until we really are seeking it. Consider Adam and Eve. When did God give Eve to Adam? It was only after Adam knew he was lonely and only after he knew that there was nothing in the created order that would satisfy this need. Giving names to everything indicates that when Adam could not find a suitable partner it wasn’t for lack of acquaintance with the alternatives. He knew the field, and he knew that what he was looking for wasn’t there. It was only then when he really knew the dimensions of the problem that God presented to him the antidote to his loneliness.

Other examples abound. A son was not born to Abraham until he had given up all human hope of having an heir. The Israelites had to endure 400 years of slavery and 40 years in the wilderness to be prepared for the Promised Land. The messiah did not come until the Spirit had been silent for 400 years - from Malachi to Matthew - and the people were desperately seeking a deliverer.

This principle extends to our time. Many people don’t know their need for sobriety until they know their enslavement to their addiction. Many do not seek a healthy lifestyle until illness knocks them to the ground. Many do not recognize their need for a savior until they have ruined their lives in pursuit of pleasure.

Jesus does tell us to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). What he doesn’t say is that most of us won’t do this until we have exhausted all the alternatives. This does not detract from what Jesus said about asking, knocking, seeking…it's merely a reflection that we won’t ask, seek or knock until we’ve run out of options. See the quote at the head of this article as an illustration.

Father Tom