Ask And You Shall Receive Series

This morning, we are going to look at what Jesus has to say about how to pray in a way that leads to receiving an answer. In his song “Good, Good Father,” Chris Tomlin says, “I’ve seen many searching for answers far and wide, but I know we’re all searching for answers only You provide. ‘Cause You know just what we need before we say a word. You’re a good, good Father; it’s who You are . . . You are perfect in all of Your ways.”(1) As Tomlin said, we are all searching for answers and even praying for them. But our heavenly Father knows what we need even better than we do (Matthew 6:8), and His ways are always perfect. We will come to see that when we pray according to God’s will, that He hears and answers; but it might not be what we expect. However, it will be exactly what we need.

Asking, Seeking and Knocking (vv. 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.

Jesus said here to ask, seek and knock. “These present imperative forms [in the Greek] imply that a person is to ‘keep on’ asking, seeking and knocking.”(2) For example, the Holman Christian Standard Bible translates this verse as, “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Listen, as I read from the New Living Translation: “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.” The use of the words “ask, seek, and knock,” suggest an ever-increasing intensity in prayer.

“When you ASK someone something, you are making a request of them. Asking in prayer is to make a request of God. We ask something of God when we have a need, and we ask something of God because [we know that] He can provide for ‘all’ our needs. If we want to receive, we must ask.”(3) Allow me to provide an example of a situation where we might ask the Lord for something. In Joshua chapter 3, we read about the Israelites standing by the edge of the flooded Jordan River, which was an obstacle that prevented them from entering the Promised Land. An example of asking, would be to ask God to part the waters. Often, there will be a Jordan River experience in our life, where there is an obstacle preventing us from crossing into what God has called us to do; and we might need to ask God to part the waters; or perhaps, even open a door.

“Seeking is asking, plus action. We SEEK when we need something of value to us. There are times when we need to take an ‘active role’ in the prayer process. If we want to find, we must seek. While you must ask, you also must act.”(4) In Joshua chapter 3, we learn that the flooded Jordan River parted only when the priests who were carrying the heavy Ark of the Covenant dipped the soles of their feet into the water. They could not just sit around hoping and asking; they had to act. In pursing God’s call on our life, we often must take the initiative and work at the task set before us. We might just need to set foot in the water; or perhaps, start pushing on that door, testing to see if it will open.

“We KNOCK when we are shut out from what we need and desire entrance. Therefore, when attempting to enter a door, we continually knock until we gain entrance.”(5) Jesus stressed the need for persistence in prayer. In the example of crossing the Jordan River, persistence might be walking out deeper and deeper into the water, just about drowning; and then starting to swim, and then swimming and swimming until you can nearly swim no more. Of course, the priests did not have to go to this extreme in crossing the Jordan River, but you get the picture! “Knocking is asking, plus action, plus attitude,”(6) and we knock until the door opens. But we need to keep in mind, as the old saying goes, that when He does not open a door, then perhaps He will open a window.

Or, perhaps, rather than parting the water, God will instead provide a boat. Some of us might see the boat in front of us – or even the open window – and because it is not what we expected, we sit still and keep on asking. We never even make it to the seeking or knocking stages! Here is a well-worn and time-tested illustration that reminds us of how foolish it is to remain stuck in the asking stage: