Scripture to Read: Matthew 7:7–8
Jesus had already covered prayer in Matthew 6:5–15. Still, prayer is so important to our fellowship with our Heavenly Father that Jesus returned to the subject of prayer in Matthew 7. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Notice the progression in the way we are to pray. We start by asking. We must humble ourselves before God to ask God for anything because asking Him reminds us that we need Him and accomplish nothing apart from Him (John 15:5). As we ask, God promises to give us what we ask for. We must never assume that asking God for anything means He will provide us with anything. When we assume that asking God for anything means we get what we want, we are taking God’s Word out of context. Remember from Romans 8:26–27, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Our weakness is prayer, and the Holy Spirit takes our weakness and joins us in prayer, making our prayers according to God the Father’s perfect will. The only way to begin knowing God’s will is to continually crucify our fleshly desires and be transformed in how we think (Romans 12:2).
Challenge & Application
· Why did Jesus return to the subject of prayer in Matthew 7 after discussing prayer in Matthew 6?
· How are you being transformed in your mind each day so that as you ask God, you are learning to ask according to His will?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!