Ask, Seek, Knock

“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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 ESV). Our verses come from an extended teaching, by Jesus, known as the Sermon on the Mount. The three action words, ask, seek and knock indicate a need for something. You ask is to say something in order to obtain an answer or some information. It may be a request for someone to give or to do something. To seek is to try to find something by looking, searching and asking. To knock is to strike something for the purpose of attracting attention for help in gaining access to something.

it is easy to lift verses like these out of context and use them to request almost anything. In the general context of these verses the emphases would seem to relate to the work of reforming others and ourselves spiritually. There is the work of finding lost sheep and developing them to the point of spiritual birth, then there is the work of spiritual growth in them and ourselves. As believers, our assignment is not to become rich in the things of the world, but in the things of God and in the process we are to be willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel. To do this work we are to ask, seek and knock to obtain what is needed to do this work.

When we ask we are to ask for good gifts; for bread not a stone and for fish and not a serpent. Think about this in terms of heaven verses the world. We are to ask in his name and according to his spirit. These three words may imply different levels of intensity. Asking may be a general prayer of request. Seeking would add a level of work to our prayers and in knocking we are at the gate of our Fathers house in a state of urgency.

Prayer

Father, as I have matured spiritually I see a shift from asking for myself to asking for others. As I write Bible lessons and post them I find a growing number of readers in a growing number of countries, which burdens me to pray for them, especially for those living in countries of persecution. As I write I pray that I would have the mind of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and as the word goes forth that it would not return void, but would accomplish that which was intended; the seeking of lost sheep and the spiritual growth of believers.

See "The Commands of Jesus" Index to view other commands.