Ask, Seek, Knock
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you,” said Jesus Christ, who goes to explain, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matt. 7:1). The present tense of the verbs “ask,” “seek” and “knock,” stresses the continuous action of prayer. The followers of Christ were a people who prayer.
The temptation is to think that this is some kind of faith formula, that if one simply claimed something in prayer, and continued to do so, then they would have their every wish. Yet, this simply misses the mark. The point is not merely to sate one’s own carnal appetites.
Matthew chapter 7 begins with a call for believers to judge with right standards of judgment. Having discernment skills would allow believers to know when it would be right to speak on sacred things, so as not to simply cast their pears before swine. Moreover, the Sermon on the Mount called for God’s people to have a righteousness that exceeded that of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and Christ taught them the true intent of the law. The sermon even begins with an acknowledgement of one’s own spiritual poverty. Christ’s standard of righteousness was set to the holiness of God, and the impossible could only be made possible through God.
Prayer is that element of one’s spirituality that shapes the person for life in the kingdom of heaven. Moreover, those who seek the Lord in prayer would not be denied a hearing by the Heavenly Father. The Lord said, “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matt.7: 9-11). Earthly fathers fallen in sins with all their imperfections, still do the right thing in providing for their children (save a number of deadbeats of course). If this be the case, how much more would the Heavenly Father who is perfect care for His own?
Christ is not so much giving us a formula for satisfying carnal desires. Christ message goes even beyond the platitude that God answers all prayers as either: “yes,” “no,” or “wait.” This might be true, but Jesus is talking about something else. The Sermon on the Mount is about life in God’s kingdom, and one of the key elements of that life is communion with the Heavenly Father through prayer, and the Heavenly Father does not deny time with His children.
The temptation is to think that this is some kind of faith formula, that if one simply claimed something in prayer, and continued to do so, then they would have their every wish. Yet, this simply misses the mark. The point is not merely to sate one’s own carnal appetites.
Matthew chapter 7 begins with a call for believers to judge with right standards of judgment. Having discernment skills would allow believers to know when it would be right to speak on sacred things, so as not to simply cast their pears before swine. Moreover, the Sermon on the Mount called for God’s people to have a righteousness that exceeded that of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and Christ taught them the true intent of the law. The sermon even begins with an acknowledgement of one’s own spiritual poverty. Christ’s standard of righteousness was set to the holiness of God, and the impossible could only be made possible through God.
Prayer is that element of one’s spirituality that shapes the person for life in the kingdom of heaven. Moreover, those who seek the Lord in prayer would not be denied a hearing by the Heavenly Father. The Lord said, “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matt.7: 9-11). Earthly fathers fallen in sins with all their imperfections, still do the right thing in providing for their children (save a number of deadbeats of course). If this be the case, how much more would the Heavenly Father who is perfect care for His own?
Christ is not so much giving us a formula for satisfying carnal desires. Christ message goes even beyond the platitude that God answers all prayers as either: “yes,” “no,” or “wait.” This might be true, but Jesus is talking about something else. The Sermon on the Mount is about life in God’s kingdom, and one of the key elements of that life is communion with the Heavenly Father through prayer, and the Heavenly Father does not deny time with His children.
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