ASK, SEEK, AND KNOCK

Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Regarding our personal prayers, here, in the lesson text, Jesus gives us three words that tell us how to pray to our heavenly Father - "ask, seek, and knock." Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, describes these three words as, "Pray; pray often; pray with sincerity and seriousness; pray, and pray again; make conscience of prayer, and be constant in it; make a business of prayer, and be earnest in it." This seems to be a good definition as we study this admonition of our Savior. Asking carries the meaning of the simple concept of prayer, seeking indicates the earnestness of prayer, and knocking shows the need for constant perseverance in prayer. Oh, how comforting to know that our spiritual Father that abides in that remote, unseen place called heaven is as near to us as the breath we exert in our prayers to Him. However, all to often this lesson from our Savior is misunderstood when taken out of context and given an unconditional and universal application to all mankind. Notice what God revealed to His prophet, Jeremiah regarding prayer. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart (Jer. 29:12-13). Even here we find that seeking and finding God is conditioned on searching for Him with all your heart. There can be no "half-hearted" prayers rendered that God will accept. Unless prayers are rendered with earnestness and sincerity, we know that our heavenly Father will not hear all prayers.

The problem that arises from the teaching of Jesus in the lesson text is in the misapplication of the word "everyone." Can one assume from the lesson text that Jesus promises all prayers by anyone will be answered unconditionally? The answer would be yes if this were the only teaching of Jesus on the subject of prayer. Certainly God will not hear the prayer of those like the hypocritical Pharisee that pray and gave alms to be seen of men (See Matt. 6:1-8). Most assuredly God will not hear the prayers for forgiveness offered by those with an unforgiving heart toward others (See Matt. 6:14-15). What about the prayers of the double-minded person Jesus described in Matthew 6:22-24? Surely they cannot find favor with God. The apostle James assures us of this fact. Notice what he wrote about the prayers of such a person. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:5-8). James starts out by assuring all people that God will grant wisdom to all that ask it of Him. Then James gives us this condition:the one praying to God is required to ask in faith, nothing wavering. Therefore prayers of the doubtful, wavering, double-minded person will fall on God's deaf ears;that person will receive nothing of the Lord.

This truth all Christians must know about our heavenly Father: all blessings He holds in His hands, and He is the Giver of all good gifts. Our God holds everything that is necessary to attain eternal life in heaven, and He has made them available through His Son, Jesus Christ. In God we can find no better parent. Jesus assures us of this in the three verses following the lesson text. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone, or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him (Matt. 7:9-11)? Good parents seek what is best for their children. When hungry, they will be fed bread and fish - the food staples of the Galileans during the days of Jesus ministry on earth. A stone may be shaped like a loaf of bread, and a serpent may resemble a fish, but these are harmful rather than nourishing. Good parents will not offer these items to hungry children.

Even more loving is our heavenly Father. All that sincerely ask in faith, diligently seek unwaveringly, and knock persistently on His door through prayer, He will answer and will give good things to them. God doesn't hear the prayers of "everyone." As the heavenly Father, He only hears the prayers of His children. By obedience to His will we become the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:26). This faith requires us to believe and confess Jesus as our Savior, repent of our sinful past, and be baptized into his body, the church of Christ. The prayers of those in Christ, God will answer and bless us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3).