ASK SEEK KNOCK

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