Ask, Seek, and Knock
By Heather Hanton
Matthew 7:7-11
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
Have you ever had the experience where you read a passage of scripture or hear someone speak on a topic and then you keep hearing it over and over in random other places? When this happens to me, I start paying close attention because I feel like God is trying to tell me something!
That is exactly what I’ve been experiencing with this Matthew 7 passage.
If anyone reading this has been involved with the Embrace program, you will know that we are currently doing a series on this passage, looking at each word more in depth: ask, seek, and knock. After choosing this series theme for Embrace last fall, the Lord has since been nudging me in various ways, preparing my heart to receive the promises from His word. From sermons I’ve heard, to ads on the radio, to my own daily devotional app. I keep coming back to this passage in Matthew 7.
Let’s take a look at those three commands Jesus gives us.
ASK
In this passage, Jesus tells us to keep on asking. This is an action statement. It involves continually coming before the Lord in prayer, keeping the lines of communication open. This requires discipline – doing our part and it increases our faith as we trust God for the outcome.
There is a danger in asking the Lord to do something we want the way we want it or on our timeline. God isn’t a genie waiting to grant our wishes. His timeline and His plan are far superior to our understanding and when we don’t get what we asked the way we asked for it, this could cause us to become disillusioned to who God really is.
Instead, we should prepare our hearts for the outcome, whatever it may be. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to not be anxious but we should come to God with thankful hearts and ask in prayer. Verse 7 tells us that we will receive peace that passes all understanding to guard our hearts as we wait and trust. An attitude of gratitude precedes the blessing because it is His will for us to first be thankful.
God is good and He wants to bless us but He also wants us to continually come to Him and ask. Asking means you believe God is who He says He is and you have faith that He will answer.
SEEK
Next we keep on seeking. This life is so full of distractions, pulling us in every direction. Just stop and take an inventory of what consumes your time and attention the most. Is God on that list? God calls us to seek Him—wholeheartedly, intentionally, and persistently.
Seeking after God isn’t just about occasional prayers or going to church. It’s about making Him the center of our lives – longing for His presence, desiring His Word, and pursuing His ways in all we do.
Jeremiah 29:13 promises us that when we seek Him with all of our hearts, we will find Him – not because He is hiding, but because He is always near, waiting for us to turn our hearts toward Him.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
We seek Him as if our life depends on it. In the previous chapter of Matthew, Jesus reminds us that nothing else is more important than seeking after His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33). When we do, God will supply all of our needs according to His will. But we must surrender to that will and put our trust in Him.
KNOCK
Lastly, we keep on knocking on the door of heaven in earnest and anticipation, expecting God to answer and thanking Him in advance for whatever the outcome, knowing it is in His perfect time and His perfect will.
I love the story of the healing of the blind man in John 9:1-34. This man, blind since birth, saw NOTHING…nothing but darkness his entire life. Jesus came and stood right in front of him. Jesus saw him, but the man saw only darkness. Then Jesus spits on the ground, rubs dirt in the man’s eyes and tells him to go wash. The man does and immediately he can see!
Friends, Jesus knows our circumstances. He sees us. He is right there with us inviting us to keep on knocking. We may even know that He is there at that door, but sometimes we can only see the door. The truth is, Jesus is right there waiting for to us to wipe the dirt from our eyes and embrace His presence.
The presence of our circumstance doesn’t mean the absence of HIS presence.
What if, when asking, seeking, and knocking, we began approaching God in this way, “Lord, how can I glorify Your name through this? Show me how you can use this situation to bring YOU glory.”
Just a thought.
So, what are you facing today? What do you need? Keep on asking. What have you been looking for from God? Keep on seeking. What burdens are on your heart? Keep on knocking on the door of heaven.
Heather Hanton
Ministries and Media Specialist
The Salvation Army USA Central Territory
Women’s Ministries Department