Matt.7:7 – Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
This is a great example of the teaching of Jesus. It is so simple a child can embrace it yet it is deeper than the ocean. The Lord is inviting us into a new life, the life of prayer. If you look carefully at what Jesus is saying it appears to be an invitation. He uses the needs that we face to turn to us to Him. He tells us to ask which leads us to a place of seeking, persistence in prayer. Then comes what Jesus is after, knock. What are we knocking on? Entrance into the very presence of God.He is calling us in, knock and He will welcome you into His place of fellowship. Here is how Matthew Henry describes this passage.
“A command given in three words to the same effect: Ask, seek, knock; that is, in one word, “Pray, pray, and then pray again. Ask, as a beggar asks for gifts.” Those who want to be rich in grace must go into the poor business of begging, and they will find that a thriving trade. “Ask; bring your needs and burdens to God. Ask as a traveler asks the way; to pray is to inquire of God. Seek, as when we look for something valuable that we have lost. Seek by prayer. Knock, as a person knocks on a door when they want to enter a house. Sin has shut and barred the door against us. We knock on that door through prayer: LORD, LORD, open to us. Christ knocks at our door, and he allows us to knock on his door, which is a favor we do not allow ordinary beggars.…We must come to God’s door and must ask boldly; we must not only pray but also plead and wrestle with God.”
You are invited in to the Lord’s habitation, knock and He will open the door and invite you in. What started out as a simple request for a need in our life has opened us up to a whole new world. You are invited in to the fellowship of God. This is what He was after all along. Providing for our basic needs is easy for our Father, He wants to bless His children. What He is after though is for us to have a desire to come in and be with Him.
