Matthew 7:7-11 7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9Or who among you, whom his son asks him for bread, will instead give him a stone? 10Of he asks also for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him.
This passage helps us understand prayer more. What Jesus says here can be misunderstood and abused. People have the idea that if we just pray long and hard enough, we can convince God to give us what we ask. They think that prayer is like a scale: if we put enough in, the scale will tip and God will act. In our materialistic culture, we like to put all kinds of conditions on what Jesus promises here. Prayer, however, is not about manipulating God or getting what we want. At the heart of prayer should be seeking the One who created us and loves us unconditionally.
Jesus uses three images to describe prayer: ask, seek, knock. Prayer has two essential parts. Our part is to ask, seek, knock, and God’s part is to give, show, and open. These words suggest a growing intensity and desperation. Asking implies sincere praying in faith; we know God hears and answers our prayers. Seeking is earnest praying; we seek after God and put our focus on him. Prayer is not about what we want but what God wants. Knocking shows more desperate and fervent praying. This is prayer that does not give up but asking and seeking. The faith of the one who prays grows over time. It is significant that each of these gets an answer. Our prayers do not need to use fancy or loud words (perhaps like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day) but should be expressed with longing for answers from God.
Jesus uses the form of argumentation from the lesser to the greater to show that our heavenly Father wants to give us good things, not stones or snakes. When we pray, we can expect to find a loving Father who provides “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17). We can be assured that God cares for us, but God also wants us to express our needs and dependence to him through prayer. In Lukes version of this saying states that God wants to give us the Holy Spirit (11:5-13), who is the greatest answer to our prayers. It is a distortion of these verses to think that we can come to God with our list of wants for material things. God answers the prayers of those who seek him. Jeremiah 29:13, the Lord reminds us, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
For older posts, click here.