Matthew 7:7-11
Prevailing prayer is victorious over life issues and
circumstances. It is persistent prayer
that will not cease until an answer is confirmed. The one who has received the message of the
Sermon on the Mount is well aware of the demands of discipleship and our
incapability of meeting them without heavenly assistance. Here is a teaching to assist in prevailing
prayer.
You cannot possibly
overestimate the purpose and power of prayer in the life of a
believer.
There is a great
difference between “saying prayers” and “praying.”
Prayers can guide
our praying but they are seldom capable of changing a life.
I. The Persistent Perseverance of Prevailing Prayer v.7
“Ask” implies asking for a conscious
need.
“Seek,” involves asking but adds action.
“Knock” includes asking, acting and persevering
Each of these terms
represents a somewhat different request:
1. We “ask” for what we wish.
2. We “seek” for what we miss.
3. We “knock” for access to some
place or thing.
We are to passionately persist
in prayer for that which we need to be used by God.
The Trilogy of Effective Prayer
- Ask Unceasingly
- Seek Persistently
- Knock Determinedly
II. The Personal
Promise of Prevailing Prayer v.8
Prayer does not change God’s purpose, create His desire to
give or persuade Him to give; it opens the way for Him to give.
“Prayer can do everything that God can do, and as God can do anything
then prayer is omnipotent.” R.A. Torrey
III. The Parental Passion of the Provider of Prayer v.9-11.
“how much more” - Jesus reasons from the “lesser
to the greater” to demonstrate God’s unfailing care for his own
children.
We do not always know what is best
for us.
You will not be satisfied in
prayer if you only feel God answers when you get what you wanted.
