Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew 7: 7, 8
7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
The Lord who knows all, perceives all, and sustains all, tells us to ask. He who sees our needs and seeds our desires, requires that we ask, seek and knock. While God is inherently good and inconceivably patient and kind, He responds to prayer and not just to need. This is due in part to His priority on relationship. In the posture of prayer, we connect with our Creator and partner with heaven.
The repetition in these verses in Matthew, conveys a sense of certainty. When we ask, it will be given. When we seek, we will find. When we knock, it will be opened to us. Jesus clarifies the heart and will of God when we come to Him in prayer. He wants us to receive. He is not a withholder, but a giver who responds to the requests of His children. These three phrases, emphasise the heart of God and reveal His promise. We will receive, we will find, and it will be opened to us. Such certainty makes us bold in prayer.
Furthermore, the repetition reveals nuances in our approach to prayer. When it comes to our needs, we simply ask. Matthew 6:8 reveals that the Father already knows our needs, even before we ask. As we ask, we receive. It is a simple act of faith that receives from One who provides for our needs and gives good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11).
Towards the end of Matthew chapter 6, Jesus admonishes us however, to not crave the things the Gentiles seek. Instead, we are to seek first the kingdom of God. Seeking is different from asking. To seek is to go after and pursue. It implies a focus and desire that transcends need. The things that we seek define us. That is why we’re not to seek what the Gentiles seek because the Lord does not want us defined by earthly things or ensnared by the lust of the world. We ask for need, but we don’t ask for the kingdom - we seek it, for It is in the seeking that we are transformed.
What is it that you long for? What is the passion of your heart? It is going to take more than asking to see the will of God fulfilled in your life. It is going to take perseverance and persistence. In Luke 18, Jesus speaks a parable to illustrate that men always ought to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). We lose heart when we think we can simply ask and receive. The things of the kingdom require seeking and seeking is a process that takes time and persistence. So don’t give up in the pursuit. If you seek, you will find.
Finally, Jesus said to knock. While seeking involves process, knocking implies that there is resistance or a lack of access. Jesus is the One who opens, and no one shuts (Revelation 3:7). He also declares that the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12). Both scriptures imply that there are aspects of life and ministry that require breakthrough in prayer.
In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul states that a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries (1 Corinthians 16:9). Paul, a man of prayer, knew that the Lord had opened a door for ministry in Ephesus. Such knowledge gave him confidence and empowered him to fight for victory. While seeking defines us, knocking builds our faith muscles and enables us to persevere in difficult situations. Men and women of faith are those who have held onto promises and not let go despite opposition, impossibilities, and setbacks. To go after the supernatural and partner with heaven, we need to persist in knocking. Conviction and determination in prayer bring breakthrough. As we knock and keep on knocking, it will be opened.
Consider:
Do you have confidence that God hears you when you pray?
Do you know that His heart is to bless you and give you the desires of your heart?
Are you asking for things that you should be seeking?
What aspects of life and ministry needs to be persistently knocked on?
