Asking, Seeking, Knocking

Luke 11:9-10
 
We have quit asking, we have quit seeking, and we have not knocked for so long that we have forgotten where the knocker is!
 
What do I mean by that sentence? Well, when is the last time we actually talked to God the Father, petitioning him due to some circumstantial issue that might involve either ourselves or someone else? Have we honestly prayed about or for something or someone?
 
We always seem to pray for the big things, but we seem to forget to pray for the little things. There are times when our prayers seem to go unanswered. We get discouraged. Answers to prayers and events happen on God's time, not ours. So, what are we to do when we come to the Throne of Grace and petition the Father on behalf of either ourselves or for someone else?

• Matthew 7:7-8, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocked it shall be opened.

 
Jesus advises us to continue seeking after God. Individuals regularly surrender after a couple of weak endeavors and presume that God cannot be found. Yet, realizing God takes confidence (faith), center (focus), and completion (follow-through). Jesus guarantees us that our endeavors will be remunerated. We ought not surrender in our endeavors to look for God. Keep on asking him for more patience, love, knowledge, wisdom, and comprehension. He will offer them to us.

• Matthew 21:22, And all things. whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer. believing, ye shall receive.

 
This is not an assurance that we can get anything we want essentially by asking Jesus and believing. God does not give demands that would hurt us, hurt others, or that abuse his own temperament or will. Jesus' assertion is definitely not an unlimited free pass. For prayers to be fulfilled, our solicitations should be in line with the standards of God's kingdom. The more grounded our conviction and belief, the almost certain our petitions will be in accordance with God's will, and afterward God will be glad to give them.

• Mark 11:24, Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray. believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Jesus, our model for supplication, when implored, “All things are possible unto
Thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36). Our prayers and petitions are regularly propelled by our own desires and wants. We like to hear that we can have anything. In any case, Jesus prayed for God's will to be done. When we pray, we should communicate our yearnings, however, we should want his will to be done over our own. We should examine ourselves to check whether our petitions center around our inclinations or God's.

• John I 5:7, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will. and it shall he done unto you.

 
Jesus has alluded to "abiding in" him. This refers to the individuals who are really associated with the True Vine, and who bear spiritual fruit therefore (John 15:1-6). This additionally alludes to those in whom His words "abide". That suggests a similar established, personal, nurturing relationship as between the plant and branches. In different spots, Jesus unmistakably associated fulfillment of prayer to the will of God (Matthew 6:10; 26:39). We are not to act as if God is like a snack or soda machine, where we can pick and choose what we want. Addressed supplication possibly happens when what we ask is essential God's will.

• Colossians 4:2, Continue in prayer and to watch in the same with thanksgiving.

 
Has anyone of us become grown tired or burnt out on appealing to God for a person or thing? Paul says to "Continue". Perseverance shows our confidence and faith that God answers our petitions and prayers. Faith ought not falter and die if the appropriate responses come gradually, for the deferral might be God's method of working his will in our lives. If or when we begin to feel exhausted in our petitions, realize that God is available, he is continually tuning in, and he is continually acting. Perhaps not in the manners we had hoped for, but rather in manners he knows are ideal.

• James 1:5-6, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

 
God does not allow each neglectful or childish solicitation. To “ask in faith” signifies asking with certainty that God will adjust our longings to his purposes. A brain that "wavers" is not totally persuaded that God's way is ideal. It deals with God's Word like any human guidance holding the alternative of noncompliance. It sways between sentiments, the world's thoughts, and God's orders. If our faith is new, feeble, or battling, we should recall that God is dependable. We ought to be faithful to him. To balance out our faltering or suspicious mind, we should submit
ourselves wholeheartedly to God.

• 1 John 3:21-22, Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

 
If our conscience is truly clear, we can come to God unafraid, assured that our solicitations will be heard. John reaffirms Jesus' promise, “Ask, and it shall be given you” (Matthew 7:7, 21:22; John 9:31, 15: 7). We will obtain when we obey. When we obey, we ask in accordance with God's will. Obviously, this does not mean we can have anything we want, like instant wealth. If we are genuinely looking for God's will, there are a few requests we will not ask.

• 1 John 5:14, And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

 
The significance here is on God's will, not our will. At the point when we speak with God, we do not request what we want, but rather we discuss with him what he wants for us. Ifwe adjust our petitions to his will, he will hear us; and we can be sure that when he hears us, he will offer us a distinct response.
 
Notice at the beginning of the chapter, the order of the prayer that Jesus was teaching the Disciples? Jesus praised God first, then made His requests. Too often our prayers are more like shopping lists than conversations with God. The teaching here is not that selfish requests will be granted. The meaning is that there will be receiving, finding, and opening of doors for the one who asks, seeks, and knocks according to God's will. We can trust the Heavenly Father to give what is suited to one's needs. Our part is to be open to God; his part is to give as he alone knows to give.

• John 16:23, And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

 
God centered will, not self-centered will. Submit to His will and then commit to His will.