“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. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11; all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible).

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” This sentence is one of the most famous in the Bible and one of the most popular statements about prayer. It almost sounds like Jesus should have said this earlier, perhaps right after He taught the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:5-13. Is this passage out of place? Did Jesus wander off on a tangent before remembering that He had more to say about prayer?

This was no tangent or distraction. Jesus had not left the subject of prayer after all. The topics that intervened between His teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:5-13 and this passage were subpoints, not topical detours. He taught about forgiveness, saying we must forgive others if we expect God to honor our request to be forgiven by Him (Matthew 6:14-15). Then, He taught about fasting, which usually accompanies prayer (Matthew 6:16-18). Next, the Lord taught His disciples to store treasures in heaven instead of on earth (Matthew 6:19-24); perhaps we should prioritize blessings that will last throughout eternity instead of temporary things that we can enjoy only until we die. Then, He taught them to avoid anxiety, trusting that God would provide (Matthew 6:25-34). Finally, He taught them not to judge others, which is the flip side of forgiveness.

So, He had not changed subjects. Many Christians pray, thinking about whether they are saying the right words, spending enough time in prayer, etc. However, our internal disposition matters more than the words we say, the time we spend, the posture we assume, etc. Do you love God? Do you love your neighbors as yourself? If not, all the right words, correct timing, or the hours in prayer, praise, fasting, and worship are meaningless.

Prayer is not magic, where we get the desired result by pronouncing the correct incantation. It is our primary method of communication with God, establishing a continual connection with Christ. Forgiveness, material satisfaction, freedom from anxiety, and compassion grow out of a life of prayer and then provide the seeds for additional growth in faith and power in prayer.

Asking implies that we acknowledge our dependence upon God and need His help and provision. We know what we want or need, so we go to Him.

Seeking suggests yearning; we want something, so we seek it. It is like when we are ready to go out and cannot find our keys; we will seek until we find them; we must have them. We want something specific from God. It might be necessary. We will not give up until He gives us what we need.

Knocking implies persistence. We do not sit around thinking, “I will get it sooner of later.” Instead, we go to the source, knock, and demand an answer. When teaching on this subject on another occasion, Jesus told this parable:

“And he said to them, ‘Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him”; and he will answer from within, “Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything”? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs” (Luke 6:5-8).

The friend who knocked refused to go away without a satisfactory answer. This is how we should knock when praying. We have a need only He can meet, so we expect Him to say “Yes.”

When we ask, seek, and knock, we should pray in faith, believing that God is merciful, loves us, and will give us what we need. However, we pray as Jesus’ disciples and God’s children, realizing that these promises belong to us because of our relationship with Him.

Heavenly Father, we come to You, asking that You would meet our needs. We seek the blessings that only You can give, and we knock persistently, knowing that You will provide. Increase our faith as we pray, so that we may learn to know, trust, and love You more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What kinds of things are you asking God for? How do you seek them? How are you knocking on His door? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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