In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes three parallel promises:
- “Ask, and it shall be given you.”
- “Seek, and ye shall find.”
- “Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”
(3 Nephi 14:7, Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9)
Taken together, these statements express an important principle: God answers prayers. When we ask, seek, and knock, He will provide answers.
Earlier this year, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf provided a different interpretation of the middle of these three affirmations:
Jesus taught, “Seek, and ye shall find.”
I believe this simple phrase is not only a spiritual promise; it is a statement of fact.
If we seek reasons to be angry, to doubt, to be bitter or alone, we will find them too.
However, if we seek joy—if we look for reasons to rejoice and to happily follow the Savior, we will find them.
We rarely find something we are not looking for.
Are you looking for joy?
Seek, and ye shall find.
“A Higher Joy,” General Conference, April 2024
The thirteenth article of faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints includes the following statement: “If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”
Today, I will seek for joy. I will look for positive and uplifting things which can bring me and others happiness, and I will savor them.