Luke 11:5-10 “Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
The illustration that Jesus gives in verses 5-10 is summarized and clarified in verse 9-10, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
You’ll notice three underlined words that are repeated: Ask, seek, and knock. So, I wanted to give a few definitions of these words and then draw some conclusions from how they are used.
Let’s ignore Shakespeare’s “it’s Greek to me”, and explore just how rich these directing words of Jesus are in their original language…
(Ask) αἰτέω (aiteo) – to ask, request; demand; desire.
(Seek) Ζητέω (zeteo) - to look for, seek out; to try to obtain, desire to possess, strive for.
(Knock) κρούω (krouo) – to strike, to knock, to deliver a blow against something.
What we can notice from these three words, is something we can also draw form the illustrations that Jesus gives before and after. There is an ascending intensity with these three things! First, “asking” is not defined as a flippant request or nonchalant inquiry. Instead, it has a heart of forceful need, deep desire, and shameless audacity. Second, the requesting increases beyond just words, “seeking” means that action is now involved! Third, “knocking” includes asking, seeking, and now persevering. Imagine continually pounding at someone’s door until they open it… This is how we are supposed to approach God in prayer! It almost seems disrespectful, but the point isn’t one of disrespect, but one of expectant persistence. Trusting and knowing that God can, and God will answer our prayers.
Is this how we pray? Do we do so with nonchalant inquiry or relentless pursuit? Do we pray expecting that God has the power to answer our prayers? Or, do we throw up our prayers like a “Hail Mary” attempt at the buzzer? Do we pray with this persistence for our families? Do we storm the doors of heaven with desires for the church? Do we strive for salvation of lost souls? Here’s the truth: God answers persistent prayers.
The illustration that Jesus gives in verses 5-10 is summarized and clarified in verse 9-10, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
You’ll notice three underlined words that are repeated: Ask, seek, and knock. So, I wanted to give a few definitions of these words and then draw some conclusions from how they are used.
Let’s ignore Shakespeare’s “it’s Greek to me”, and explore just how rich these directing words of Jesus are in their original language…
(Ask) αἰτέω (aiteo) – to ask, request; demand; desire.
(Seek) Ζητέω (zeteo) - to look for, seek out; to try to obtain, desire to possess, strive for.
(Knock) κρούω (krouo) – to strike, to knock, to deliver a blow against something.
What we can notice from these three words, is something we can also draw form the illustrations that Jesus gives before and after. There is an ascending intensity with these three things! First, “asking” is not defined as a flippant request or nonchalant inquiry. Instead, it has a heart of forceful need, deep desire, and shameless audacity. Second, the requesting increases beyond just words, “seeking” means that action is now involved! Third, “knocking” includes asking, seeking, and now persevering. Imagine continually pounding at someone’s door until they open it… This is how we are supposed to approach God in prayer! It almost seems disrespectful, but the point isn’t one of disrespect, but one of expectant persistence. Trusting and knowing that God can, and God will answer our prayers.
Is this how we pray? Do we do so with nonchalant inquiry or relentless pursuit? Do we pray expecting that God has the power to answer our prayers? Or, do we throw up our prayers like a “Hail Mary” attempt at the buzzer? Do we pray with this persistence for our families? Do we storm the doors of heaven with desires for the church? Do we strive for salvation of lost souls? Here’s the truth: God answers persistent prayers.