Ask! Seek! Knock!

August 24, 2025

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-11

This morning, I want to begin by reading the following obituary. Mrs. Prayer Meeting died recently at the First Neglected Church, on Worldly Ave. Born many years ago amid great revivals, she was a strong, healthy child, fed largely on testimony and Bible study, soon growing into worldwide prominence, and was one of the most influential members of the famous Church family. For the past, several years Sister Prayer Meeting has been failing in health, gradually wasting away until rendered helpless by stiffness of knees, coldness of heart, inactivity and weakness of purpose and will power. At the end she was but a shadow of her former happy self. Her last whispered words were inquiries concerning the strange absence of her loved ones now busy at work and places of amusement. Experts, including Dr. Works, Dr. Reform, and Dr. Joiner, disagreed as to the cause of her fatal illness, administering large doses of organization, social media, contests and drives but to no avail. A postmortem showed that a deficiency of spiritual food coupled with the lack of faith, heartfelt religion and general support, were contributing causes. Only a few were present at her death, sobbing over memories of her past beauty and power. In Honor of her going, the church doors will be closed on Wednesday nights, save the third Wednesday night of each month when the Ladies Pink Lemonade Society serves refreshments to the men’s handball team.

This is an awful, and a tragic death, because the lack of prayer means the lack of power, the power of the Holy Spirit. Over the past 50 years, since I have been a Christian, the times when God’s Holy Spirit moved in a powerful way was when prayer was practiced in a big way!!! I personally believe our worldly culture is because of the lack of priority of prayer in churches. It goes back to the principle of II Chronicles 7:14, If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Today, our text directs us to pray! Let’s look!

Verses 7, 8, 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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Now please note Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, knock, after he noted that one needs to take the plank out of one’s own eye. We each need to realize and own up to our sin, our selfish desires, our self-centeredness, our spiritual poverty. Why? Because until we realize our sinfulness and have a proper understanding of what it means to have Jesus as Lord of one’s life, we will not pray or pray properly.

So many people take this verse as a blank check to pray selfishly for whatever they want. Yet, we read in James 4:2, 3, You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Too many people paint a picture in their minds and hearts that fits a God they want. So, we base our interactions with God on a picture of Him that really does not exist. This may prompt you to be disappointed, angry or doubt God when he does not answer your prayers.

Until we take the plank out of our own eyes, we will also not understand the importance of depending on the Lord and abiding in Him. As Jesus stated in John 15:5, I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This has the idea that we are obedient to Him, and we are willing to submit to His will.

So, if we understand, take to heart our self-centeredness, our insufficiency, and have a proper understanding of the LORD, we will be prompted to earnestly pray to receive God’s grace and power to do His will. We will want to depend on Him, to abide in Him! As we do this, He will produce in us His fruit, to live an abundant life (Note John 15:6-11).

This is the background as Jesus then instructs us to ask, seek and knock! Now in the Greek the verbs, ask, seek, and knock are all present continuous verbs. So, verse 7 literally states, Be asking, and it will be given to you; be seeking, and you will find; be knocking, and it will be opened to you (DLNT) or to put it another way, Ask, and keep on asking; seek, and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking.

Asking is a simple petition expressing your need to God. So, asking in prayer happens when you know what you need, and you present your requests to God.

The word, seek, intensifies the process. We seek when we don’t know where something is. In seeking we understand that there is concentrated time and effort involved. We spend time seeking God in prayer and in his word. Seeking is a process, and it doesn’t happen all at once. So, you seek the Lord in prayer and His word to know the answer, to seek Him, to seek His guidance and wisdom.

Jesus stated in Matthew 6:33, to seek his kingdom and his righteousness.

Jeremiah 29:13, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

The word, knock, intensifies the process even further. Knocking in a sense is banging away! Whereas seeking implies that you haven’t found something yet, knocking implies that it is shut off from you. It is the picture of the closed door that stands in your way. Some doors are shut so tightly, we could never open them on our own, but our Heavenly Father can open the door.

In the New Testament, an "open door" seems to denote an opportunity. For instance, I Corinthians 16:8,9 states, But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

Colossians 4:2, 3 states, Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 

We are to continue to knock on doors until God opens to us the opportunity he has in mind.

In Luke 11:5-8, a parallel passage, Jesus gives an illustration of persevering in prayer. Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

Then Jesus says the same thing in Luke as he states in Matthew 7:7, 8. Now, please note six times in two verses Jesus tells us that God answers prayer! Jesus teaches that believers must ask, seek, and knock, and if we do, we will receive. Since these two verses are so misunderstood, I want to make clear/reiterate these conditions for our prayers to be answered.

We already noted that our prayers are not to be for selfish desires/motives. We also noted that we preserve in prayer by asking, seeking, and knocking. I want to reemphasize the importance of obedience, abiding in Him as His child. I John 3:22, Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 

I also want to reemphasize the willingness to submit to His will. I John 5:14, 15 states, This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. Therefore, to pray effectively, we must give ourselves to studying God’s Word to discern God’s will. God’s will, when properly interpreted, is meant to be pursued in prayer.

Now please realize prayer is an act of faith! We are not to just go through the motions. Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. To receive God’s promises, we must pray in total confidence of God’s character. If Scripture clearly promises something, we must believe those promises as we pray!

Principle 1: If you want your prayers answered, don’t ask with selfish desires, realize the need for God’s help, persevere in prayer, be an obedient child, submit to His will and have faith in God’s promises!

One of the questions that I asked this past week is why? Why does God want us to pray and pray continually (I Thessalonians 5:17). Here is what I came up with. The more each of us engage in prayer, the greater the relationship with the LORD! Each of us will develop a deeper, richer, more meaningful communion with the LORD. We will grow in Christlike character as we spend time with the LORD! We will reflect Jesus to others. We will grow in wisdom! And as we abide in Him, He will produce the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23).

Prayer will also help us with the trials of life. Paul instructed in Philippians 4:6,7 states, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Also, we are to pray because of our constant battle with sin and the evil one. The forces of evil attempt to hinder any kingdom advances. Persistent prayer helps us win those battles. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed, and he also told his disciples to pray so they would not fall into temptation (Luke 22:46).

Now life can be difficult, but Jesus said in Luke 18:1 that either we pray or give up. Oh, how important it is to persevere in prayer. It has often been said that prayer for the believer is like oxygen. We must constantly give ourselves to it.

Verses 9, Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

Imagine an earthly father preparing a meal for his toddler and handing the toddler a stone that was shaped like bread. Now, when Jesus said these words, bread looked like pale flour and just a little round thing. It looked similar to limestone on the shores of Israel. So, a father could easily deceive his child. Yet would a loving father give him a rock and most likely break a tooth. The answer is, “Of course not.” No earthly father would be so cruel as to give his hungry child something deceptive and harmful in place of the food the child asked for.

Then Jesus says in Verse 10, Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 

Imagine a toddler being hungry, going to his father for food and the father giving his son something as dangerous as a snake. A responsible father would not do that.

Here is Jesus’ point. As a child asks for something like bread and fish, the responsible parent would not give them something that is harmful in place of something that is not only desired by the child but is needed by the child! Parents and grandparents want to help their kids, not harm them.

Then Jesus makes his point verse 11, If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.

An earthly father is limited and still finds a way to bring good things into the life of their child. Therefore, please realize how much more our Heavenly Father will give good gifts.

What Jesus was saying was radical to the people at that time. For hundreds of years, their priests had stressed spiritual, religious, and ceremonial law keeping. And the priests had stressed all those activities to such an extent that God’s true nature had become obscured. They were taught to keep hundreds of extra rules and rituals to make God’s anger subside for a time.

Jesus is making the point that the Heavenly Father is good, loving, and caring! The Heavenly Father wants to empower, to bless His children! As we understand God’s goodness, then we will have the desire to love others as Matthew 7:12 notes. We will touch on that next week.

The question that I have, “What are the good gifts our Heavenly Father will provide?” Is Jesus talking about money, power, fame, good looks, good health, a great family, a big house? No. The answer is found in a parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke.

Let me begin by referencing the end of Luke 10. It is the story about Mary and Martha. Jesus and his disciples go to their home. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what Jesus said. Then, Luke 10:40 states, But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Jesus responded, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha was concerned about doing this and doing that to please the Lord Jesus. Mary was concerned about learning, fellowshipping, communing with the Lord Jesus.

Then beginning in Luke 11, Jesus teaches the Lord’s prayer. Then he tells the story about the friend who pleads for some food and his friend ultimately gets up and gives it to him. Then, Jesus in this parallel passage, a different setting, instructs to ask, seek and knock. He also mentions how an earthly father would not give his child a snake.

Then he says in Luke 11:13, If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

There is the answer! Jesus states the good gift is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit who, being God, is the greatest good we could imagine! While all who truly believe in Jesus receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (Rom. 8:9), we all need to know more of the Spirit’s fulness in our daily walk. Whatever our needs, our greatest need is to be filled continually with God’s Spirit. So, Jesus instructs us to come as needy children and ask, seek, knock for the Father to pour out His Spirit upon us.

The gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is talking about is a gift that all of us absolutely need. So, just like a child needs food for physical strength, asks, seeks, and even knocks for it, the child of God needs to be asking, seeking, knocking for the Holy Spirit for spiritual strength and power.

What a wonderful promise we have here! Our Heavenly Father promises to give Himself, His Spirit to us! God’s greatest gift to us is Himself! He came in the person of Jesus Christ. After his death and resurrection, he left this world and went back to the Father. However, he sent the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit to comfort, to encourage, to empower, to convict, to intercede, to transform us, and to live within us. His Spirit is the deposit for our inheritance!! His Spirit within gives us the assurance of eternal life. We are called to be filled with the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit! The key to doing this is communicating, praying, knowing, and applying His word.

Our hope beyond this sick world is the kingdom of God! Even when we do not understand why God allows the trials we are suffering, we must come to Him in faith and ask for a fuller measure of His Holy Spirit. Keep on asking, seeking, and knocking. Jesus promises that we will not be sent away empty-handed. Approach God with bold persistence, knowing that as a loving Father, He will give you what is for your spiritual good. He will fill you with His power and presence, His Holy Spirit! He will give you the power from inside to deal with the troubles of this world!

As my favorite verse Romans 15:13 states, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Listen, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead will empower you as trust in Him, as you ask, seek and knock! His Spirit gives you the power to live for the Lord, to become more like Jesus, to love, to have a joy and peace, to live an abundant life!

Principle 2: God is good!!! He shows his goodness by giving Himself, the gift of the Holy Spirit in your life. So, ask, seek, and knock for God’s Holy Spirt to fill you and work in your life!

Let me close with this. Over twenty years ago, I read the book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens When God's Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People by Jim Cymbala. In the book, Jim shares his story. He began his pastorate in the early 1970s at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. The church had no money to pay him, a building in desperate need of repair, and barely enough attendance to bother with weekly meetings. The difference came when Jim, in a moment of desperation, called the church to pray. The weekly prayer meeting, not the Sunday worship, became the focal point of the church. Pastor Cymbala stated that prayer was the key to unlocking the power of the church to become the beacon of light to a world living in total darkness. He understood early on that for his ministry and church to be successful the need of the hour was persistent and fervent prayer and a firm reliance on the work of the Holy Spirit. Today, Jim continues as the pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle and now hosts around 10,000 worshippers weekly.

Prayer is still a critical aspect of the church. Let me share a few of his quotes related to prayer.

“Few Christians have anything but a vague idea of the power of prayer; fewer still have any experience of that power. The Church seems almost wholly unaware of the power God puts into her hand; this spiritual carte blanche on the infinite resources of God’s wisdom and power is rarely, if ever, used—never used to the full measure of honoring God.”

“I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for his power.”

“When we calmly reflect upon the fact that the progress of our Lord’s Kingdom is dependent upon prayer, it is sad to think that we give so little time to the holy exercise.”

“Prayer is God’s plan to supply man’s great and continuous need with God’s great and continuous abundance.”

“Does anyone really think that America today is lacking preachers, books, Bible translations, and neat doctrinal statements? What we really lack is the passion to call upon the Lord until he opens the heavens and shows himself powerfully.”

“Around us is a world lost in sin, above us is a God willing and able to save; it is ours to build the bridge that links heaven and earth, and prayer is the mighty instrument that does the work.”

“Prayer is the greatest of all forces, because it honors God and brings Him into active aid.”

It is prayer that brings revival!......