Anchor My Faith

Ask, Seek and Knock

Scripture: Luke 11:9-10

In the previous lesson we tried to understand the word “impudence” in connection to prayer. In this lesson we will look at more of what Jesus says about prayer.

^{Lk 11:9} “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

 Verse 9 contains three verbs that are present imperatives; they are necessities, essentials, and required for us to do. These verbs are “ask,” “seek” and “knock.” Jesus said, if you ask God it will be given to you, implying that if you don’t ask you may not receive. James amplifies this greatly in James 4:2 – 4 ESV: ² “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ⁴ You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

James tells us that since we have become friends with the world, we use the worlds methods of trying to obtain that which we desire, which often has negative results. Since our friendship is with the world, we make ourselves an enemy of God and do not see him as a supplier of our desires. Jesus tells us to ask God and to do that we need a right relationship with him to feel drawn to him to ask, expecting him to provide.

Next Jesus tells us to seek God and if we do, we will find. In Deuteronomy 4 the people are told that they will be scattered among the nations because of their disobedience to God, but while in those nations they will have an opportunity to return to God. “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29 ESV). Isaiah tells us to “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6 ESV). If we are going to ask God, we need to first seek him and establish a right relationship with him.

Finally, Jesus tells us to knock at the gate of God for mercy and if we do it will be open to us. As we saw in Luke 11:5 – 8, knock suggests perseverance. We are to persist in prayer, confident that God will provide what is best for us, according to his sovereign, gracious will.

In the context of teaching a general principle, Jesus is encouraging us to see prayer as a continual habit of life. We are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV). We are to ⁴ “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! ⁵ For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 100:4 – 5 ESV). We are to remember what is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV).

Conclusion

Out of the context that we have seen in this lesson that which is important when asking God for something, is that we are to have a loving obedient relationship with God and are asking for our need according to his will for us. Remember, “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV).  “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4 ESV).