The Life and Ministry of Jesus
“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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7–8
These verses teach us the duty of prayer, and the rich encouragements there are to pray. There is a beautiful connection between this lesson and that which goes before it. If we want to know when to be silent, and when to speak, when to bring forward holy things and produce our “pearls,” we must pray.
This is a subject to which the Lord Jesus evidently attaches great importance: the language that he uses is a plain proof of this. He employs three different words to express the idea of prayer: “ask,” “seek” and “knock” (verses 7–8). He holds out the broadest, fullest promise to those who pray: “Everyone who asks receives” (verse 8). 1
Personal Encouragement
God is inviting you to ask Him for help. God is inviting you to seek Him with the same diligence that you would seek for a buried treasure. God is inviting you to be persistent, to keep knocking, until He answers.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
It is always too soon to quit praying.
A Prayer
Lord, thank You for Your devoted love towards me.
1. Ryle, J. C. (1993). Matthew. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
