Devotional:
If we take a careful look at what Jesus is saying in this passage, we will interestingly notice that the initial letters spell the word ASK (Ask, Seek, Knock). He is simply telling us that the formula for prayer is simply to ask.
Ask. What He means is that certain needs require a mere asking to be immediately met. If we need love, courage, wisdom, power, and patience, they all lie in this realm. Simply ask, and the answer will be given. The apostle James wrote, “If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God...” (James 1:5). Let him ask and it shall be given.
Seek. Seeking is not a simple act. It is a process; a series of acts. Jesus says there are areas in life that require more than asking; there must be seeking and searching. When something is lost or hidden from us, prayer then becomes a search—a plea for insight and understanding, for resolving a dilemma. Again, the answer is certain. Seek, and you will find!
Knock. A knock is a request for admittance, repeated if necessary, and it suggests situations where we seek entrance or an opportunity. Someone has perhaps built a barrier against us or our friendship and we are seeking to surmount that, get behind the wall of resistance, and have an opportunity to freely and openly speak, share, or enter a life. That requires knocking
Perhaps we have an unshakable desire to begin a certain type of work or ministry from which we are now excluded. We long to move into that area, we feel God leading and calling us to be this or do that. That requires knocking. We are looking for an opportunity, seeking an entrance into an area that is restricted from us. We come before God boldly and repeatedly asking, for we are resting on the solid assurance that Jesus is reminding us once again to knock, and it shall be opened.
