One of the images that Jesus gives in Scripture of prayer is the image of knocking on a door. This image of prayer is interesting. Knocking involves disruption, persistence, and confidence. Just as someone knocking on your door gets your attention and causes you to stop and pause to see what the person at your door wants, prayer is a way of getting God’s attention to talk to Him about what is going on in our hearts and minds.
We have been studying Matthew 7:7 in our Bible study this week, where Jesus teaches about prayer. We have studied the beginning of this verse where Jesus said, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find." The verse does not end there, however! Jesus continued His teaching about prayer, saying, "Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you." To "keep on knocking" when it comes to our prayer lives means to keep praying persistently about the things that concern us, just as we would knock on someone's door repeatedly with persistence until they open it. Jesus invites us to approach God the Father in prayer with that same persistence, not giving up. The promise that Jesus gives is that when we "keep on knocking," "the door will be opened." When we pray persistently and "keep on knocking," God hears and responds. Now, He may not respond how we expect, but He will always respond in a way that works out for our good and His glory.
Is there a prayer you have given up on because you have become discouraged and struggled to see how God is working? One of these prayer requests that we must not become discouraged in is prayers for the lost. Who in your life have you been praying for to come to know Christ, but you have seen little progress? Keep praying for them. You never know how God may be working behind the scenes! Let’s be people who keep on knocking, persistently bringing our requests before God, especially our prayers for those who are lost.
Take a moment now to pray for the person you have been praying for to come to know Christ. Pray that God will make Himself known to them and that they will commit their lives to Him. Ask Him to give you opportunities to point them straight to Christ. Commit to praying persistently, never giving up hope that that person will come to know Christ.
1“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
6 “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy.[e] Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[f] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
