We must receive, as well as ask. We must take the place of believing and recognize ourselves as in it. A friend once said to me, "I want to get into the will of God." I answered: "Will you then step into the will of God? And now, are you in the will of God? My question aroused in the man a thought he had not considered. He saw that he had been straining after but not receiving the blessing he sought. Jesus had said, Ask, and ye shall receive (John 16:24). The very strain keeps back the blessing. The strong tension of all your spiritual nature so binds you that you are not open to the blessing which God is waiting to give you. Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17). He tells me there is cleansing From every secret sin, And a great and full salvation To keep the heart within And I take Him in His fullness, With all His glorious grace, For He says it is mine by taking, And I take just what He says.
