"ASK - SEEK - KNOCK"
Part 1


A. "ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU; SEEK, AND YE SHALL FIND; KNOCK, AND IT SHALL BE OPENED UNTO YOU: FOR EVERY ONE THAT ASKETH RECEIVETH; AND HE THAT SEEKETH FINDETH; AND TO HIM THAT KNOCKETH IT SHALL BE OPENED." - Matt. 7:7, 8
  1. These words of our Lord are a wonderful revelation:
    1. Of God's attitude toward prayer.
    2. He wants us to pray.
  2. They are a constant challenge to us to pray:
    1. He takes cognizance to our ignorance and our indifference to the privileges of prayer.
    2. The carnal mind does not readily perceive the things of the spirit - 1 Cor. 2:14
    3. But our Lord recognizes, also, how indispensable prayer is in the life of a Christian.
B. LET US NOTE, BRIEFLY, A FEW THOUGHTS BASED UPON OUR OPENING TEXT
  1. We may have for the asking:
    1. "Ask and ye shall receive . . . for every one that asketh receiveth."
      1. To ask is to inquire. Compare Gen. 32:29 with Mark 9:32
      2. To require - Gen. 34:12; Dan. 2:10
      3. To seek counsel - Isa. 30:2; Hag. 2:11
      4. To expect - Luke 12:49
    2. Asking implies want. They who are not in want, need not ask.
    3. Can this be the reason why so many among us have ceased to ask? Rev. 3:14-17
    4. God makes asking the medium of all our blessings.
    5. Asking implies that God is willing and able to supply all our needs - Phil. 4:19
    6. Finally, asking reveals the reasonableness of prayer. Could our heavenly Father be more gracious to us than open His heart and His storehouse to us to supply our needs?
  2. "Seek and Find":
    1. "seek, and ye shall find . . . he that seeketh findeth."
    2. Seeking implies special interest, and putting forth special effort on our part.
    3. It implies that special treasures of the kingdom may be found by all who put forth effort.
    4. Seeking implies that the treasures of the kingdom are hidden from the world. Our Lord had a lot to say about the blindness of the world - Matt. 11:25; 13:11
    5. Finally, seeking implies that the blessings of the kingdom of God, if sought earnestly can be found.
  3. Knocking implies importunity in prayer:
    1. Our needs are urgent and the time is very short.
    2. Peter knew the meaning of urgency - Matt. 14:30
    3. This same truth receives special emphasis in the parable of the importunate widow before the unjust judge - Luke 18:7, 8
  4. Knocking suggests perseverance in our prayer:
    1. We think of Jacob's experience at Jabbok - Gen. 32:26
    2. Knocking suggests further the admission by God to the storehouse of blessing.
    3. The kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force - Matt. 11:12
C. BEST OF ALL IN RELATION TO OUR SUBJECT
  1. The Lord does not measure His mercies to us according to our narrow requests:
    1. He does infinitely more for us than our finite minds are able to comprehend.
    2. "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." - Eph. 3:20
    3. It is the humble opinion of this writer that we do not enjoy the blessings of God as much as it is our prerogative to enjoy them because we do not obey the admonition of the Lord as recorded in our opening text - Jas. 4:1-3
  2. Could God do more to encourage us to pray more often and more earnestly?
    1. "Ask and ye shall receive."
    2. "Seek and ye shall find."
    3. "Knock and it shall be opened unto you."
  3. This is God's pledge to all who make their lives prayer lives: Daniel did! Paul did! Abraham did! Do we?


Design © John Bryant 2011