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Prayer: Approaching God on Three Levels

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV).

The verbs in this passage are all in the imperfect tense which implys continual searching and not a one-time event. When you continue to ask, seek, and knock you will have your answer. Continual prayer is the way we pray in faith.

The three words used in this passage also communicate three levels of prayer. We ask when we know God’s will, we seek when we do not know His will, and knock when we have sought, know and the door remains shut.

We may ask in confidence knowing, “. . .  that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15 NKJV).

We may seek with confidence because we have God’s promise that he may be found. “. . . You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:12-13 NKJV).

We may knock with confidence because God has proven His willingness to reward the diligent and broken-hearted. “And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ Then Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.’ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.’” (Matthew 17:14-21 NKJV)

Loved one, for what do you pray? Do not give up if God does not immediately answer. It could be that God wants you to grow in your faith. As we have read somethings only happen by prayer and fasting. Serious issues require serious attention. Belive God and He will eventually give you an answer. Even if it is not the answer you hope for, you will discern the Lord’s will by asking, seeking, and if need be knocking.