Written ~ 10-02-2023
Matthew 7:7-11
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?
10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!
11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.”
Think about what you pray about during your day. If you search the Scriptures to learn more about prayer. The Psalms will give you great examples of David praying in his time of need. In the New Testament we find numerous examples of Jesus hiding away and praying, sometimes in anguish to His Father. Once Jesus had ascended to Heaven, we find His disciples in constant prayer.
Let’s look closely at Matthew 7:8,
8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
- ASK
- SEEK
- KNOCK
These are words of action. Our prayers to the Almighty God, our Father in Heaven shouldn’t be passive. What I mean by that is, our prayers need to have intent and purpose. Definitions of passive are: lacking in energy or will, not active or operating. The Message (MSG) puts verse 7:7 like this,
“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need.”
Based on what we learn in God’s Word, we must pray the will of God. Sometimes that can be confusing, right? How do we know we are praying the will of God? Well, studying Scripture and praying by using the examples found in the Bible will help us learn. Even Christ’s followers had to ask how to pray. So, we’re not alone. Knowing the Father’s heart will help greatly when you go to Him in prayer, when you are asking, seeking, and knocking.
8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
- RECEIVE
- FIND
- OPEN
When we ask the Lord for our prayers to be answered, we need to be grateful and receive whatever answer is given. In this Scripture, it doesn’t say the answer will always be “Yes,” but we will receive an answer. It might be our timing is not God’s timing. It might be that God is preparing something for us that is greater than what we were thinking or praying! With both answers, we need to keep praying through every situation. When this verse says, “Everyone who seeks, finds,” where are you seeking answers? We established earlier that asking, seeking, and knocking are all action words, so when it says to seek, what do you think that means? Synonyms for seek are pursue, hunt, chase down, search for… Doesn’t sound like when we give our requests to the Lord that we just sit back and do nothing. No, we need to search for the answer. But where? The Bible would be the first place. Biblical counseling, notable Christian authors, there are many avenues in which to find good, solid answers when seeking the will of God, if it is based on Biblical truth, you may just find the answers you’re looking for. Seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit and asking Him for help when asking the Lord for something is a great start, He will point you to the answer as you pursue, hunt, chase down and search for the Lord’s reply. The next step is to open the door…
“And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
If we are hunting for answers and find what we are looking for, it is up to us to open those doors. What if we are afraid of what the answer might be, and we refuse to open the door? What if we decide searching for an answer is too difficult and we stop seeking His will? We have been knocking and knocking, every door we see we knock, then we hear the Lord on the other side… do we hesitate? Or do we fling the door open, no matter the answer? The Lord will always provide a door, He will always be waiting on the other side. When we are in need and we are praying for those needs to be fulfilled, are we going to the Lord with confidence or fear? My prayer would be that we go to the throne of God with confidence and lay down our requests before Him and seek His answer. Verse 7:11b says,
“… how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.”
If our hearts are bowed in humility and love, if our requests are based on real need, not just selfish wants, God will respond to His precious children.
Heavenly Father please help me learn from Scripture how to pray. Help me to be diligent in my prayers, to ask, seek and knock. I want to receive Your good gifts, find Biblical answers, and open the doors You stand behind.
I love you Lord, thank You for always being there when I call.
~AMEN~