Saturday, May 25, 2013

Don't Stop Knocking


“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)


Have you ever stopped to visit someone, knocked on their door, and no one answers? It’s obvious that someone is home because there are cars in the driveway, you can hear music coming from the stereo, and the dog is barking. It can be very frustrating when we have something to say and no one will open the door and listen! Or maybe we are knocking on the wrong door; ever done that? We keep knocking on that door and we finally just give up and walk away! Often this is the way we pray; we ask for something and when we don’t get an answer immediately, or we don’t like the answer that is sent to us we give up and walk away. We really don’t know what to do because we have prayed, and we are confused and discouraged because we haven’t seen or heard an answer to our request, so we simply quit asking and decide we will figure things out for ourselves.

“For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:8)

All of us have been in a situation that required perseverance, and I believe that God often delays answers to our prayers to cultivate persistence in us.  We have to approach every closed door that we come to until the right door opens; we need to keep knocking until we get an answer. The very fact that we continue to ask, seek, and knock demonstrates that we are truly dependent on God; true prayer means business, and it keeps on asking and asking with persistence and faith. God is waiting for the persistent prayers of His people, and for those who continue to knock, the door will be opened.      

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)


Sometimes it is hard to keep going in prayer. We struggle with doubts, and things start crowding into our lives and distract us from faithful prayer. Sometimes we cry out to silence and feel like no one is there, but He is there! Faith shouldn’t die if the answers come slowly; the delay may be God’s way of working His will in our lives. He always answers our prayers in one of three ways…

                    …Yes…

                             …Not yet…

                                       …I have something better for you…

…maybe not in ways we had hoped, but in ways that He knows are best. He doesn’t always give us what we ask for right away; our patience has to be stretched in order to grow and become stronger, and He will make us wait in order for us to grow. His ways may not look like our ways, but they are always better than our ways.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

Whether we have prayed once, twice, or countless times, and even if we find ourselves discouraged, we need an attitude of persistence, bound by obedience, to pray again and again. He longs to reach out His hands to our needs as long as we keep asking… keep seeking…and keep knocking. If we keep pursuing, we will see God’s promise in clear view, so we have to keep on knocking until the promised door is open, because only God opens doors that no one can shut!
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24 comments:

  1. Thank you Denise. This is a great message for me. A life lesson in every new situation.

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    1. Blessings to your sweet and loving heart Jedidja; love you my friend!

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  2. Hi Denise...I love this message. I tend to be persistent when I really want something so what you wrote really speaks to me. And I believe with all my heart in prayer. When my kids want something....and ask me more than once....I know they really want it and I'll do whatever is in my power to get it for them. I think God is like that...He's got a parent's heart. I love your spirit Denise.....hope your weekend rocks.

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    1. He does have a parent's heart; love that you said that Nikki! I hope your weekend rocks too my friend! :)

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  3. Wow Denise, this subject (perserverance) is always a tough one...especially when it comes to praying!
    Funny, but when I worked in code enforcement...you can imagine the times I knocked on a door, and could tell someone was in there, yet they would not answer...Of course I would have to leave a notice with a warning of a fine if they did not respond within a certain time...Always got their attention, LOL!
    Well, thank the Lord we do not give God an ultimatum...answer me now...or else I won't obey or respect or even believe in you anymore!...We must always humble our own will and bend to His...Perhaps no answer is THE answer for our request...perhaps it will only be a matter of time before we see why our request was not the right thing to ask for in the first place?...I can look back (hindsight is 20/20) on many a prayer and see where God was either growing my faith, or asking me to trust Him when a prayer went unanswered.

    ~God bless you, and enjoy your long weekend!~
    ((HUGS)) <3 Lisa

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    1. I can recall many times when the answer was no, and it was always for my good and to benefit me or the person I was praying for. Thanks for your words Lisa; nice to find out a little more about you. What an interesting job! Blessings sweet friend!

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  4. Thank you for the reminder that I need to persevere in praying for something that God has not answered yet. I will persevere. He is still in control and I still need Him.

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    1. Thank goodness He takes control for us Peggy! :) Blessings good friend!

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  5. A beautiful post, Denise, full of Biblical truth. His timing is always perfect, and His answer is always best, even if it is not what we had hoped for. Praise God that we can boldly approach the throne of grace, and that He works all things together for our good.
    God bless,
    Laurie

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    1. Praise indeed! Blessings to you too Laurie! :)

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  6. Hi Denise, this is another post I've read this morning in which the theme is to persevere. Don't give up, trust God for anything and everything.... yep, needed to hear this too.
    Thank you my friend
    God bless
    Tracy

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    1. It's a mighty word; persevere....one that I need to hear daily to keep my paths straight! Hugs Tracy!

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  7. Denise, as always thank you for what your share on your blog. Words of encouragements and reminders of how our Heavenly Daddy love is towards us. Thank you. Blessings to you my dear.

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    1. Love all the encouragement and reminders I receive from all my precious blogger friends Grace; so glad you are one of them! :)

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  8. Dear Denise
    This is so true, but when we do get an answer like Paul did with the thorn in the flesh, we should accept the "no" and realize that our Oappa knows best. He told me for a few very valid reasons why He was not going to heal my Fm/CFS and in retrospect I totally agree with Him.
    Much love from Unite
    Mia

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    1. You handle it with grace and beauty dear sister! He always has a plan! :)

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  9. God loves to keep communication open with us. When we keep knocking and asking, we are continually opening our heart to Him and when we open our hearts to God, the connection between us grows! Plus, we can trust that His answers to our prayers are always the best ones. So, while we "wait" we can feel the joy of our relationship with Him!

    Hugs, Joan

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    1. Amen Joan, love what you shared! Blessings sweet friend!

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  10. Great post Denise! The verse that keeps coming to my mind as I read it is, "Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness..."

    I have to admit. Often times I will blog, text, or do whatever is easiest before humbly entering that precious throne room of grace...petitioning our God of all grace. Praying. Waiting. Doing whatever it takes...to get into His presence.

    Thanks for the encouragement today, my friend! ~ Jen

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  11. Thanks for that little push to keep on persevering Denise. Some answers don't come in the time we would like but God has given us the invitation to keep asking. Blessings to you.

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  12. Knocking on the wrong door.. I love how you put that.. More than once I have prayed fervently for something, frustrated because my prayer had not been answered.. Later I realize that what I had been praying for was something I only thought I wanted..
    Soo glad He knows me better than I know myself!

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  13. Hi Denise,
    I remember many being one of the ones hiding when someone was knocking on my door. Maybe it was someone selling something...
    Excellent reminder to be persistent in prayer. I have been praying for the salvation for certain members in my family for years, sometimes I think, Why??? It can be easy to give up because it seams hopeless.
    Thank you for sharing another awesome post and may God bless you, my friend.
    Ken

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  14. Thanks for sharing over at WholeHearted Home each week. I liked your thoughts on prayer. It is good to have the reminder and encouragement to persist in prayer. I like the verse that says something like, "the fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much." I love all the verses you shared on prayer also.

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