Day 38: The knocking kind of prayer

Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son asks bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him? (Matt. 7:7-11)

In this well-known passage, Jesus describes three kinds of prayer. In our times of asking, we go to Him with personal petitions. In seeking prayer, we look to Him for guidance, clarity, and more of His presence. When we knock, we’re hitting on something that needs to be opened for ourselves or for others – something that’s resisting us temporarily. Any large undertaking will need large doses of the knocking kind of prayer in order to remove obstacles and “prepare the way of the Lord.” Knocking prayer is prayer that will need to be constant and at times even fervent.

For anyone who sees a long road ahead of him, the good news is this: Jesus gave the same encouragement to knocking people as he did to the “askers and seekers” – to him who knocks it shall be opened!

Lord, build some “heavenly fortitude” into me. In too many things and in too many ways I have failed at prayer, for I have only asked or questioned when I ought to have knocked. Bring me and bring us as a people into the power of steadfast, determined and tenacious prayer that overcomes the resistance of the enemy and unleashes Your almightiness in our situations. I believe that You will give us good things – if we ask!