The Key Ingredient in Prayer (Mat 7:7-11)

Ask, seek, and knock: persistent prayer is active and continuous (7-8)

Jesus gives the pattern of persistent prayer through three verbs: ask, seek, and knock. Each one builds on the last, moving from a simple request to active searching and then to determined pounding on the door. The verbs are imperatives, so prayer is not optional for a child of God. In verse 8 they are in the present tense, meaning keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. The speaker compares this to his young daughter Ella, who will not stop calling and pounding on the bathroom door until she gets in. Prayer is an active, continuous act of depending on God.','body':'x