The Lord wants us to ask for help and he promises answers. In Mt 7:7-11, Jesus doesn’t simply invite us to ask; he urges us. And his ask, seek, knock statement highlights some important things to keep in mind when asking.

Interpretations of Jesus’ statement vary. I won’t add to the mix, but want to share how I find using his ask, seek, knock images helpful.

Jesus used three ordinary observations from life to explain something about prayers of request (or petition, supplication). Normally, we receive something because we asked for it, discover because we searched, and a door is opened because we knocked (or whatever the modern-day equivalent). The three action-and-result images illustrate aspects of asking in prayer.

In each case, Jesus emphasized the first word (the action) more than the result. He spoke them as imperatives: Ask! Seek! Knock!

Some view the three images as levels of prayer fervency; a progression, moving from a simple ask to an urgent knocking at God’s door. I prefer to see them as three facets in a gem we call a prayer of request, viz. Specific Appeal, Enquiry and Encounter.

Make a SPECIFIC APPEAL Ask and it will be given to you

This first image is the simplest. We ask the Father for what we believe he can, and is willing to give. Jesus unpacked this by adding another everyday illustration: a son asks his father for a particular food (bread, fish) and the father responds to the need. It illustrates the heavenly Father’s readiness to give his children the good things they specifically ask for (Mt 7:9-11).

Usually, when the specific appeal is missing — or gets ‘lost’ under an assortment of requests we load into the prayer — we have no clear asking point to return to, and miss out on the expectation that it will be given to you.

Answers are not always immediate, and might differ from the form we expected, but the Lord promises his wise and loving response to our specific request.

Asking the Father for his blessing on a meal, journey protection, help in a challenging task, etc. is usually straightforward. The need is obvious, and the specific asking point is clear. However, that’s not always the case. That’s why Jesus included the gem’s seek facet.

Be willing to ENQUIRE Seek and you will find

In our fast-moving world of drive-thru conveniences and instant supply, we can treat prayer hurriedly. For instance, we hear of a need or experience a problem, and rush into asking the Lord for an outcome that seems right to us.

God’s answers to issues won’t always match the ones that seem obvious to us. By presuming the outcome (and skipping the according to his will check), we miss out on the restful confidence of being heard by him (1 Jn 5:14,15).

Presumptuous asking is unnecessary. The Lord has given us his Spirit to guide our enquiry into his thoughts on the issues we pray about (1 Cor 2:10-16). The best answer is already in his mind long before we pray about the need. Taking time to seek and find the specific asking point that best serves his answer may delay or extend our asking, but it will make our praying more accurate. And it draws into our asking the Lord’s joy over the answer he has in mind.

Desire to ENCOUNTER Knock and the door will be opened

A prayer of request is about more than registering a need. All prayer is an encounter with the Lord. With the prayer of request, it’s an encounter that leads into an appeal for help. It doesn’t start with the request, but with the desire to encounter him.

Our prayer isn’t a call from a distance, a shout through a separating door, or a needs list dropped through the letterbox of a celestial door. It’s an opportunity for face-to-Face conversation, and enjoyment of the Lord’s company. He doesn’t force the encounter on us. He invites (Heb 4:16). The Lord wants us to enjoy his presence, not just ask for his answers to needs. He responds to our knock — the heart’s longing to meet with him — with a wide-open door. We cross the threshold to encounter the Lord, and bring our prayer of request into the enjoyment of being together.

Review one, or more, of your current prayers of request. Is the knock facet of the gem (the desire to encounter the Lord) already an enjoyable part of the asking? In the particular need being prayed about, can clarity in asking, and the expectation of an answer increase with more search time (enquiring about the outcome that pleases the Lord)?