Ask, Seek and Knock (Matt. 7:6-12)

Jesus in this brief section returns to the topic of prayer. He has already given to his disciples the pattern prayer that we call the Lord’s Prayer. We can deduce from the fact that he spoke again about prayer that he regarded it as an important activity for his disciples.

One question that arises is whether or not there are differences between what he said about the Lord’s Prayer and what he says here. I would suggest two at this time. One is that the Lord’s Prayer guides us what to say in prayer and the verses here guide us regarding how we pray. The other is that here Jesus is highlighting personal prayer whereas previously he had described corporate prayer (note the pronouns in the Lord’s Prayer).

It is also the case that here Jesus indicates that not all prayer is the same. After all, there are obvious differences between asking, seeking and knocking in everyday life. Each of us may engage in them numerous times daily, but we would never describe them as the same activity.

Who can pray like this?

It is important to note that Jesus is stressing that it is disciples who can pray in this way. This type of praying is limited to those who know God as their Father. If we are not in such a relationship, we cannot pray in this way. Of course, the possibility of having such a relationship should make us desire to have it.

How does one become a disciple, a genuine disciple, of Jesus? We know that in the Bible there was one false disciple among the twelve. There were also numerous temporary disciples who expressed an interest in Jesus but who then abandoned him when they realised that they did not like what he taught about God and his kingdom. So what marks a true disciple? Here are several features.

A true disciple is penitent, which is another way of saying that he takes sin seriously. He is also delighted with the promises of Jesus, and regrets his inability to take hold of them more often. At the same time, he recognises that Jesus is more than a good Teacher with extraordinary insight. The disciple realises that Jesus is divine, and that he came into the world to deliver his people from the consequences of sin. He follows Jesus because of Calvary, and loves Jesus for showing such love for sinners. His desire to obey Jesus flows from gratitude to Jesus for going to the cross.

Jesus here calls his disciples ‘evil’. What does he mean by that description? He does not mean that they are as bad as they could be. Rather he means that they are not good in the way that God is, perfectly good. His description highlights that we need grace, whether common or special, in order to live together. At the same time, his description is an encouragement because it means that only sinful people can pray (there is no other kind of believer in this life) and it is only sinful people who receive answers to prayer. Perhaps the disciples were thinking that Jesus, because he was different, always received answers to prayer. Whether they did or not, he points out that his followers also receive answers to prayer.

Obviously, this set of verses is not the only teaching in the Bible on prayer. We cannot use these verses by themselves and ignore what is said elsewhere. For example, we are told that we must pray according to God’s will, which is likely a reference to matters that he has revealed as suitable things to pray about. And we are also told in one of the psalms that if we regard sin in our hearts the Lord will not hear us. We can say that in order to pray Matthew 7:7-13 we need to be submissive and cleansed from sin.

The ideas illustrated

Clearly, Jesus uses three pictures to illustrate prayer. As we look at them, what ideas come into our minds? Here are five suggestions. One is simplicity, a second is nearness, a third is desire, a fourth is specificity and a fifth is persistence.

The simplicity is seen in the verbs that Jesus uses – ask, seek and knock. They are taken from everyday activities that each of his listeners had engaged in. We all know what it is to ask for something, to look for something, to knock at someone’s door. Here again we have an example of how Jesus taught – he took everyday instances and used them to teach spiritual truth in a manner that people could easily understand.

The three examples also indicate nearness. If we want to ask for something, we have to be within hearing distance of the person. If we seek for something, we need to be near the space where it can be found. And if we knock at a door, it is obvious that we have to be beside it. Prayer is drawing near to God. Of course, the disciples would have known that was the case because they had many examples in the Old Testament of individuals who had done so.

The third idea is that of desire because usually the three illustrations are connected to what someone wants strongly. A child asks its parent for an item it wants, a treasure hunter seeks for an item he wants, and a door knocker wants access to the person in the room. This is a reminder that true prayer is never offered in an indifferent manner.

Fourth, the ideas lead us to think of specificity. We know that normally we don’t ask vaguely, nor do we describe a person as a seeker who is merely looking at the ground, and nor do we regard someone merely standing at a door as a knocker. I suppose we could say that it is specificity that distinguishes real prayer from hypocrisy. God demands that we be specific in our prayers.

Fifth, Jesus uses the present tense when he refers to asking, seeking and knocking. He does not mean that we should only ask for something once. Instead we are to persevere with the petitions. Perseverance is the indicator of expectancy. If we give up praying for something, it is a sign that we did not believe God could answer the petition.

The places of prayer

It is clear from his illustrations that Jesus has three different locations of prayer in mind. The locations are (1) where a person asks, (2) where a person seeks, and (3) where a person knocks.

When it comes to asking, Jesus may have given us a clue to the place that he has in mind when he refers to a child asking his father for food. Asking in prayer is like a child drawing near to his father in dependence on him to meet every day needs. Of course, Jesus is not limiting this kind of prayer to literal children. Instead he is reminding his disciples that often they will be able to pray in such a straightforward way.

What kind of person is illustrated by the individual seeking in prayer? A person who seeks is usually focussed on something that can be found. So we can work out that a seeking person has listened to what the Bible says on the topic of prayer. At the same time, a person usually seeks for items that he regards as valuable. Perhaps we could say that a believer searching for assurance can be said to seek. Or an individual looking for guidance.

Knocking points to respect. I would not walk into a person’s house without knocking first. Similarly, when we draw near the throne of God we will be marked by reverence for the One who rules. Yet since Jesus uses the perfect tense here, we can work out that knocking includes perseverance to get access. This does not mean that God is reluctant to hear our prayers. He has not told us why he delays to answer our petitions at times.

Obviously, Jesus mentions three ways to pray. Is he saying that one form is more advanced than the others, that we start by asking, then move to seeking, and eventually become marked by knocking? I don’t think he is advocating that process. Instead, I would suggest that he is highlighting that there will be different kinds of prayers depending on the circumstances.

The certainty of answers

Concerning each of the methods of prayer, Jesus says that it will be successful. Here he teaches with emphasis that prayer is answered. This means that we can say that prayer proves the faithfulness of God to his promises, the wisdom of God regarding how he produces the answers, and the love and joy that he shows when doing so. Maybe it will be the case that when we get to the judgement seat we will discover how much we could have received if we had prayed better.

What reasons can be given for this failure? I will mention three. One of them is spiritual lethargy. We could say that since God knows what we need, he will give without us praying. But he has told us to pray for our needs. Or we could say that since God has planned everything, we don’t need to pray because our prayers will make no difference. That suggestion is evidence of spiritual laziness.

A second reason is our attitude towards God. Jesus mentions that here when he talks about a person not giving a stone instead of bread or a serpent instead of a fish. The one we pray to is the heavenly Father who delights to give good things to his children. I suspect that we have no idea how much the Father delights in the prayers of his people.

A third reason is a failure to persevere, and we can see that perseverance is part of the description of prayer given here by Jesus. Why should we persevere? In addition to the fact that prayer is obedience to a divine command, persisting in prayer brings us repeatedly to God. It is inevitable, then, persistent prayer will change us and that is a blessing. And it may be the case that God delays the answer because we value it more than we do him.

Some benefits

Richard Sibbes, a Puritan pastor, observed that ‘Prayer exercises all the graces of the Spirit’. The graces of the Spirit are another way of describing the fruit of the Spirit or the descriptions of believers in the Beatitudes. It would be useful to pray through those lists weekly. The comment of Sibbes reminds us that the consequence of prayer in a Christian’s life is spiritual beauty and balance. Others will see that a praying person is a spiritual person.

David McIntyre wrote that ‘Prayer brings divine omnipotence into the occasions of life’. In what situation do we not need God? We can turn that question and ask, ‘In what situation is it good for us for God to be absent? Do we want to speak to our neighbours about Jesus? Pray about it and look for the power to come. Do we want to understand the Bible better? Pray about it and see what God can enable us to grasp?