“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8
Prayer is one of the most challenging spiritual disciplines for a Christian. Daily consistency can be a struggle. In fact, we sometimes find volunteering for laborious ministry easier. Why? Primarily because we can “see” the effort and fruit of our work.
Conversely, prayer is different. When we enter into the presence of God, all human activity must cease. Our hands and feet rest, while our hearts and minds become prominently active. We approach God in our neediness, believing in faith that He exists and hears us (Heb 11:1). The Bible exhorts us to seek Him, for our hearts will pursue what we love (Mt 6:19-21).
Prayer is the only avenue through which God grants each Christian direct access to Him. This was not always the case. During the Old Testament Levitical Offering and Sacrificial System, only one appointed priest could enter the presence of God on the “Day of Atonement” on behalf of all the people. By contrast, under the New Covenant, Christ’s salvific work on the cross has made it possible for all of God’s people to come into His presence without a human intermediary (Hebrews 4:14-16). Christ is our Advocate and Mediator (Romans 8:26-27, 1 Timothy 2:5). As a result, we have direct access to God the Father through prayer. In light of these wonderful truths, we arrive at the next question.
How do we pray? Here are three attributes of fruitful communion with God:
- Earnestly: We approach God with humility, being serious in our intentions, sincere, and fervent.
- Diligently: We conscientiously prioritize our approach to God, being attentive and persistent in our pursuit of Him.
- With Perseverance: We remain steadfast in our prayer life despite our struggles with:
(a) the desire to pray;
(b) discouragement from self-perceived unanswered prayers;
(c) lapses in faith. Faith helps us persevere in our life of prayer, regardless of the difficulties we face in engaging in it.
In this focal passage of Scripture, Jesus uses three central “action words” (i.e., verbs) to describe an active prayer life.
(1) “Ask”
Many times, we do not receive because we are afraid to ask. In life, we typically ask someone with the expectation of receiving an answer. Why? It is because we trust in the character of that person; if they agree to fulfill our request, we believe they will deliver on their promise. How much more should we ask of our God, trusting in His immutable character as our Provider and Promise Keeper? We should ask with confidence that He will answer us according to His will (1 John 5:14-15).
(2) “Seek”
It is human nature to search for anything of value that we are missing. For example, if we lose a precious pearl in our room, it will not be found unless we diligently turn the room upside down looking for it. Likewise, in prayer, we are to persist in seeking after God. No matter the obstacles, we are to seek the Lord for our needs until God answers. In this exhortation, Jesus embeds a promise: “Seek, and you will find.” Here are a couple of great examples of “active” seeking of God that we can apply to our prayer life:
- The Blind Beggar: He continuously cried out for Jesus until he was heard, seeking healing for his blindness (Luke 18:35-43).
- The Parable of the Persistent Widow: Jesus uses this parable to teach us to endure obstacles in prayer until God answers (Luke 18:1-8).
Lastly, in the Gospel of Luke, a group of men brings a paralytic to Jesus for healing. A crowd blocked the entrance to Jesus’s home, obstructing their access to Him. They did not allow this human barricade to stop them; instead, they persisted in their pursuit of Jesus. In faith, they took a detour by climbing to the top of the house and letting the man down through the roof tiles. Jesus commended their faith (Luke 5:18-26).
(3) “Knock”
When we want to enter a room or home with a closed door, we knock. We must remember that Jesus likens Himself to a “Door” (John 10:7-10). In other words, if we come to Him in faith, He gives us access to fellowship with God through Him. Jesus says, “Knock, and it will be opened to you.” Jesus is the door through which we must approach the Father. He will never turn away anyone who comes to Him in faith (John 6:37).
Faith is the key ingredient we need in prayer. Why? Because when we pray to God, we endeavor to draw near to Him. In doing so, we must believe that God is who He has revealed Himself to be in the sacred Scriptures. If we do not believe that God hears and answers our prayers, we will not be encouraged to call upon Him. A prayer life that is destitute of faith can receive nothing from God.
The promise in Hebrews 11:6 is that God will reward those who “diligently” seek Him. What is this reward? First, the reward is not primarily about receiving answers to our prayers for material provisions, though it is always a blessing when God provides for such needs (Mt 6:31-34). The true prize we seek is this: in drawing near to God, He draws near to us, allowing us to experience His presence and fellowship, which:
- Helps us clearly see our sin as He exposes it to us (Jn 3:20-21). Sin in our lives hinders fruitful fellowship with God.
- Provides a place of grace and mercy for our confession of sin (after receiving the proper diagnosis) and the receipt of forgiveness through Jesus (1 Jn 1:9).
- Assures us of our salvation.
- Assures us that God will care for our needs.
- Is a refuge in times of trouble.
- Illuminates our dull understanding and provides a heavenly perspective on our earthly lives (Col 3:1-4; 1 Cor 7:31; 1 Jn 2:17).
Praying in faith is also “forward-looking. It gifts us with a foretaste of the promises to come in Jesus, in the new creation (Isa 65:17; 66:22; Heb 12:26-29; 2 Pet 3:12-13; Rev 21:1). This is vitally important because it encourages us not to cling to our lives or to love this fallen world.
A prayer of faith with eternal life in view asks of God, seeks of God, and knocks on heaven’s door without ceasing until he answers. Amen!
Dr. Jason S. Price, Th.D
www.springoflivingwaters.com
Find us on Facebook: