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90 Days of Prayer – Day Twenty-Eight
Always be Asking and Receiving
Matthew 7:7-8
“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.”
Always be Asking, Seeking, and Knocking
In our passage above the words “Ask,” “seek,” and “knock” appear in the “present active” tense, which simply means continuous action is implied. To “Keep on asking,” “Keep on seeking,” “Keep on knocking” is the idea Jesus wants his followers to understand. In Deuteronomy 4:29 Moses reminded the people that whenever they found themselves in trouble, they were to “seek” God’s favor until He answered. This idea is repeated no less than thirteen times in the Old Testament, thus making Jesus’ teaching on continual prayer a foundational principle of God’s Kingdom.
The Parable of the Persistent Widow clearly illustrates this truth of asking, seeking, and knocking until we receive. Although this truth is not very popular in a day when instant gratification is the norm for many, it is still a foundational Kingdom teaching concerning prayer. Jesus ends that parable by saying; “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? ( Luke 18:7).
George Muller understood this truth better than most. He lived a lifestyle of persistent asking and receiving for many years. He and his staff lived by praying fervently, receiving provisions for some 2000 orphans over the years in answer to prayer. When asked about the secret to such consistency in receiving answers to prayer, he simply said; “The great fault of the children of God is, they do not continue in prayer; they do not persevere. If they desire anything for God’s glory, they should pray until they get it.” Imagine the powerful influence the Church would have in society, if we only knew how to continually receive from God the very answers to the issues elected officials are always struggling with.
Be Specific to Obtain your Objective
If you mailed a letter with no address would the person you were writing to receive it? Would you send an email without naming a recipient? Would you go food shopping for nothing in particular? The answer to these questions of course is no, and prayer is no different. We are instructed to ask, seek, and knock for exactly what we need. In Deuteronomy 4:29 the people understood that God Himself was their main objective, and the specific blessings they were seeking rested on His covenant promise to them.
Jesus is teaching that prayers should to be specific and to the point. We should know exactly what we need and why we need it before we can expect God to answer our request. Specific requests will receive specific answers. In other words, we get exactly what we ask for. Jesus drives home this very point by saying; “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake (Matthew 7:9-10)? This truth will absolutely charge the atmosphere with expectancy, in our time alone with God and that of prayer meetings in the Church.
Be Encouraged
God wants to provide all we need, and all that’s needed is ours for the asking. The more specific our request is, the stronger our confidence will be in expecting God to answer. It really is quite simple; because faith begins where the will of God is known, our reason for expecting an answer begins with a specific promise God has made. This is why John writes that knowing what God promises before we ask assures an answer (1 John 5:14-15).
Prayers that are not specific are not answered, and God receives glory in answering prayers (John 15:7-8, 16). He invites you and I to continue to ask specifically, and receive exactly what we need. So, Be persistent in prayer, Be always asking, seeking, and knocking, Be specific, Be confident, and above all, Be Encouraged! -JSP