ASK, SEEK, KNOCK
“And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Luke 11:9, 10
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges for the child of God. So many of the wonderful blessings and promises that can be ours are appropriated through the vehicle of prayer. To fail to pray will bring certain disappointment in our spiritual journey. Our Savior describes the practice of prayer in simple and practical language, which all of us can relate to. Prayer is asking, seeking, and knocking. We ask God for the things we need, and the things that we believe He would want us to have, or the things we are confident He wants to do.
The Bible says, “ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2). God wants us to ask, as a child would ask his father. He also teaches us to seek. We are to continue to seek the Lord for His will to be done; if we are not certain something is His will, we are to seek to find out. It pleases the Lord for us to seek Him, to seek His face, and to seek to understand His will. Then we are to knock. This teaches us to be persistent in our praying. Sometimes the answer does not come immediately. Because God does not answer our prayers instantly is not an indication that He does not plan to answer them. We cannot pray too much about things, nor can we pray about too many things. We are encouraged in the Bible to pray about everything. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6). We are to exercise this discipline of prayer.
The Scripture says, “every one” that asks will receive. God wants to hear the prayers of all His children. He listens to the youngest believer, both in terms of physical and spiritual age, just as much as He listens to the oldest Christian. His promises regarding prayer are sure. The word shall is used four times in our text. God wants us to know that prayer will produce results. We can ask in faith, knowing that God is willing to hear and answer according to His will. Jesus was the perfect example in prayer. He prayed often and earnestly. We need to make praying about things as natural as breathing. Our loving Father is pleased to hear and answer the prayers of His children.