ASK
SEEK KNOCK!
Matt
7:7-8
7
Ask,
and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
8
For
every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened.
In
The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses three action verbs to describe the
process of prayer: ask, seek, and knock. It is clear that prayer is more than
giving God a copy of our prayer list. It involves seeking His will and perfect
timing.
To
ask
means to verbalize in prayer what is on my mind and heart. Something is
troubling me and it might be something as simple as asking God to help me find
my keys! I have become comfortable enough in our relationship to ask God for
anything even the trivial things. Now, if God would answer in a voice, He might
say: “OK, I will ‘help’ you find your keys but I will not search for them and
bring them to you.” It’s time to go on to the next step.
To
seek
means to explore possible solutions to the problem. It means seeking godly
counsel and advice. It means becoming a partner with God in making things
happen. I have asked God for help but I must do the seeking. I retrace my steps
mumbling something about how important it is to find those keys. In the case of
the woman who lost one coin, it is said that she swept the house! (See Luke
15:8)
To
knock
is to increase the intensity of prayer. When you knock on a door, look very
closely as to what happens. Next time you knock on someone’s door, watch how
many times you naturally and instinctively want to knock. You will naturally
want to knock at least two to four times. You will not knock just one time. Try
knocking just one time and see how unnatural it feels. The tense of all three
verbs cause it to read: “ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, and
knock and keep on knocking.”
Ask
with confidence and humility.
Seek
with care and application.
Knock
with earnestness and perseverance.
Dear
Lord, let me not abandon my prayers until I have exhausted myself in seeking
and knocking. AMEN
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