Keep Asking - Matthew 7:7-8

Seek God Together

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read Matthew 7:7-8. In these verses Jesus says, “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Do you ever find prayer frustrating? If you say “no” I’d wonder if you’ve ever really tried. Have you prayed and prayed and prayed only to feel like your prayers stopped at the ceiling? I wonder if the reason Jesus said this is because this frustration with prayer is so universal. There are at least three conclusions we can draw from His words. First, God wants us to keep asking. He wants us to not give up. You can almost assume that prayer will never be a one-and-done enterprise. Are you ready to throw in the towel? Join the club and keep going. You are in the company of thousands of years of frustrated prayer warriors. Second, God gives. He says so. Everyone who asks receives. The things we pray for are not ends in themselves. Money, health, a house, a car, opportunity…these are all mere trifles. God has life in Himself. The stuff of our lives while necessary, are easy distractions from the real substance of God. We’re right back to where we always end up - the character of God. God is a giver. It’s all He does. There is literally nothing that He receives outside of us giving Him ourselves in relationship. This leads to the third and final point, relationships require coming back again and again. Is there a substantive relationship you have that doesn’t have extreme ups and downs? Have you ever had a meaningful relationship that doesn’t include apologies, misunderstandings, love at an extreme level, sharing at a deep level, growth and change? Whether a spouse, a child, or a good friend, this is part of the relationship. You keep coming back. Why would it be any different with God? Keep asking. “God, if You want me to keep asking then I will. I ask You to meet the needs in my life. But more importantly, I want to see and experience You. And I’ll ask for this again and again and again.”