“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Luke 11:9-10 NKJV
When our bodies fail, whether it is due to disease or injury, we seek healing. We desire to be made whole again. Christians seek healing from the Lord through prayer.
I am in that boat right now. Several upper respiratory infections damaged my hearing. Otherwise known as Sudden Sensory Neuro Hearing Loss. I have focused on several Bible verses about healing and prayer recently, including this passage from Luke.
Jesus commanded us to do three things here: ask, seek, and knock. Yes, these are commandments, not suggestions. And they are followed by promises.
First, we ask. We make a request. When my house cat, Rascal, escaped outside, I would call her. Consider that asking. When that failed, I moved it up a notch by seeking for her. Searching the yard or neighborhood usually produced Rascal, but if not, I would have knocked on doors to see if anyone had seen her.
Do you see the progression from asking to seeking to knocking? Each step became more deliberate and intense.
Watch children as they play a game of hide-and-seek. Observe the energy and time they spend seeking for the hidden person. God isn’t being cruel and playing games with us, but He wants us to persist in prayer.
He wants us to go beyond asking and sacrifice time praying about our needs and the needs of others. Then He wants us to keep knocking on heaven’s door until He opens it.
Think of the little time we spend in communion with our heavenly Father when life is going great. Is it any wonder God allows trials in our lives in order to spend time with us? It is sad but true. We get down on our knees more frequently when we traverse the fire and the flood.
As I have grown more fervent in prayer, I have also prayed more for others. Yes, I need desperately to hear, especially since I am blind. However, I know people suffering much worse than me. So, I pray for them, and I pray for myself. More Often. More intensely. If I ask, seek, and knock for each need, I can easily come up with countless requests. Asking, seeking and knocking gives me a million reasons to lift up a million prayers.
What do you face today, my friend? Perhaps, like me, it’s your health. Maybe it’s your kids or grandkids. Could it be your job or financial woes? Who else needs your prayers?
Let’s not overlook the promises attached to asking, seeking, and knocking. Those who ask will receive. Those who seek will find, and God will open the door to those who continue knocking. Believe these promises. Faith unlocks the door to prayer.
Lord Jesus, forgive us for our prayerlessness. Place it on the forefront of our minds to ask, seek, and knock each day. Give us passionate, persistent prayer lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
DIG DEEPER
Read Luke 11
HIKING THE TRAIL
When do you pray? Where do you pray? It helps when we are intentional with a set time and prayer closet.
Originally posted on September 13, 2020 @ 3:49 pm