When it comes to prayer, Matthew 7:7-8 provides us with one of the most concise and yet misunderstood set of instructions: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
As we consider this very familiar passage there are a few things we need to note. First are the three ways we are to approach God in prayer...Ask, Seek, Knock. These three things are to be done in connection with each other. We shouldn't be able to do one without doing the others. It's a progression that should not be broken up.
Let's quickly examine each of these steps of prayer. First is the asking. So often I think we misunderstand this important starting point. When we ask we tend to know the general issue at hand. It is during this step that the requests become clarified, as we seek God's will regarding it. Do we take time to ask God what He wants us to pray regarding different issues or do we assume we know what's best and ask God to bless our ideas. One is praying God's will the other is praying our will. God will only answer one type of prayer. He will not become our puppet, doing whatever we want. He will however, answer any prayer that is according to His will.
Second, once we have asked and know what God's will is regarding an issue, then we are to seek it out. There is a vast difference between knowing God's will and doing something about it. Once we know it, we should then pursue it with all that we are and have. This is where we are actively going after God's will and continuing to do so until we have it. When we know the specific will of God regarding an issue we are praying for, nothing should ever make us stop praying for it. Nothing but seeing God's will happen. This seeking is where we put all of our effort and energy into seeing it happen. Is this how we pray?
Third, we need to actually finish the prayer process by receiving the answer. Remember, our asking shows us what we should be praying for. Our seeking is the passionate pursuit of that goal. Now, when the prize is at hand we need to finish strong. So often we get to this point, the answer is right there, and we don't think we deserve it so we pull back. This knocking is where we are asking to receive the answer. We know it is right there and we just need to step up and receive it. Don't stop short, keep praying and when you see the answer just before you, ask God to open the opportunity and give you the strength to grasp it.
Many people come so close to the answers they are seeking because they skip one of these step. May we be faithful and do all of them when in comes to our prayer time with God.
