“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,” (Matthew 7:7). If we are struggling to find the best way to ask for and receive forgiveness from the Lord, this verse outlines it perfectly. The first step in being forgiven is asking for forgiveness. Forgiveness is a collaborative process. Both parties have to be on the same page. How often have we assumed without asking that we have been forgiven only to discover later that they've been nursing a grudge against us? Or what about the other way around? How often have we carried around the crushing weight of guilt and shame for months or even years only to find out that the person not only forgave us ages ago but doesn't even remember our offense? It is very possible that Christ has forgiven us in the very moment that we sinned, but we cannot receive this gift of forgiveness until we have been humble enough to ask for forgiveness. We might not receive the fullness of forgiveness right away, but we are promised that if we ask for forgiveness, it shall be given to us, at least, enough forgiveness will be given to us to get the ball rolling on the next step. After we have asked for forgiveness, we must seek to find a way of meeting amends or restitution for the pain and suffering that we have caused. This can be a complicated project. Making our way through the tangled thicket of intentions and outcomes, damages and debts can be daunting to say the least. We will wander down blind alleys and follow false trails. Sometimes we will offer up much less than is required of us, and sometimes we will give and give and yet the one we have offended will refuse to forgive us. But as long as we continue on in our quest and never give up seeking to find a way to restore that which was lost and repair that which was broken, then we are promised that we will find the way. And once we have asked for and been given forgiveness and sought after and found a way to make restitution, then all that is left for us to do is to knock on the door to the House of the Lord, that it may be opened to us, we who have fully repented and been cleansed with the blood of the Lamb, so that we may enter into the rest of the Lord. I know that if we ask for forgiveness, seek to find restitution, and knock on the doors of Heaven, the mansions of our Father will be opened to us and all that He has will be given to us.
