Dear Friends,
When you pray, are you confident God is going to answer? Or do you wonder if He even hears you? Is your prayer life fruitful and satisfying? Or are your times with the Lord somewhat disappointing, filled with petitions about unmet needs and desires? If you’ve been struggling during your personal devotions, it may mean something is amiss in the way you’ve been communicating with God.
Most of us know what it feels like to agonize in prayer about a problem we are facing. In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus taught His disciples an important truth. He didn’t say, “Pray and you will receive.” Rather, our Lord used three specific words to teach His disciples about the practice of prayer—ask, seek, and knock. Prayer is not just something we do only when there is an urgent need. It involves a specific process.
We begin by placing our request before the Lord and asking whether or not it is His will. Then we should seek the answer: How is God opening our eyes to new options? What doors of opportunity is He presenting to us? Or does our Father want us just to take time to get to know Him in prayer? Once He directs us toward a course of action, we need to step out in faith. We must obey God by knocking on the doors He wants to open for us. That’s when we our prayers are answered, and our faith in Him grows. It may be a long process, but our obedience to the Lord always brings blessing.