Prayer 101 - #21 A.S.K.

So I say to you: 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. Luke 11:9-10

Now that Jesus has instructed us regarding the elements of prayer and the attitude of prayer, he finishes his instruction with the promise of prayer. The promise of prayer is in the context of praying according to the elements of the Lord’s prayer (Lk 11:2-4; Mt 6:9-13) and praying with shameless audacity (Lk 11:5-8). The promise contains 3 action verbs concerning prayer.

1. Asking - Jesus instructed us to ask God for: his kingdom to come and for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven; our daily bread; forgiveness; to lead us in a way that doesn’t bring us face to face with temptation; deliverance from evil and from the evil one.

2. Seeking - Jesus instructed us whom to seek…our Father in heaven. He taught us what to seek in our asking…the hallowing of God’s name. He taught us when to seek…”give us today our daily bread”. We are to seek God even at unusual hours (“Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight…”). He taught us how to seek when he taught us to pray “our Father”, “give us this day our daily bread”, and “lead us not into temptation”. It is a “family” effort. Jesus taught us why to seek when he tells the story of a man seeking bread on behalf of his traveling friend who needs it.

3 Knocking - Jesus instructs us regarding an apparent barrier to prayer…the door. The asker/seeker and the provider are on opposing sides of the door. There may be a perceived resistance on behalf of the provider in opening the door. Keep knocking. Don’t be discouraged. Knock at midnight. Knock with shameless audacity. Jesus stands at the door of the lukewarm church and knocks in Revelation 3 inviting anyone to open it. He keeps knocking. He doesn’t knock the door down, he respects it as a barrier that only the person on the other side can open. This is illustrative of the “knocking” aspect of prayer.

What is the outcome of asking, seeking and knocking? “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”