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“For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
— Matthew 7:8
Let us look at what the Word of God says. This simple promise of Jesus is repeated, affirmed, and expanded throughout Scripture. The lyrics you have before you are not human optimism; they are built on divine guarantees.
Three key actions are presented: ask, seek, knock. These are not casual religious phrases. They describe a progressive journey of faith into deeper relationship and greater access to God and His purposes.
The main scriptures behind these lyrics are:
These verses confront us with a vital spiritual question: Do we truly believe that God is a Father who opens doors to those who come? Much unbelief hides beneath religious language. Jesus deals with that unbelief by revealing God as Father, and by commanding us to ask, to seek, and to knock.
This is not a suggestion. It is a command. And with God, every command is also an invitation to enter into His provision.
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These words appear in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), the most concentrated body of teaching Jesus gave about the lifestyle of the kingdom of God. He is speaking to His disciples, not to the crowds in general (see Matthew 5:1–2). This is teaching for those who have already responded to His call.
The context of Matthew 7 is judgment, discernment, and dependence on God:
So these promises about prayer are not isolated. They are set in the context of:
1. A lifestyle of righteousness that exceeds legalism.
2. The need for spiritual discernment.
3. The narrow way that few find.
In other words, Jesus is not providing a mechanical formula to get anything we want. He is describing how citizens of the kingdom relate to their Father and receive His provision to live out this radical, kingdom lifestyle.
### Who is speaking?
Jesus, the eternal Son of God, is speaking with absolute authority. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the people are astonished because:
> “He taught them as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” (Matthew 7:29)
Jesus does not say, “Perhaps you will receive.” He says, “Everyone who asks receives.” Only God incarnate can make such a universal, unconditional statement, and be right.
### What was the situation?
Israel at that time was under Roman occupation, under religious burden, under spiritual darkness. People longed for God’s intervention. Yet their view of God had been distorted by legalism and tradition.
Jesus comes not merely to show power, but to reveal the Father. In Matthew 7:11 He deliberately contrasts human fathers with the heavenly Father. The point is: you have underestimated God’s goodness.
These promises are therefore corrective. They confront a wrong view of God: that He is reluctant, distant, or stingy. Jesus is saying: “Your problem is not that your Father will not give. Your problem is that you will not ask, will not seek, will not knock in faith.”
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Let us look at two key terms that will help us understand these promises more clearly.
### 1. “Ask” – Greek: *aiteō* (αἰτέω)
In Matthew 7:7–8, the word translated “ask” is *aiteō*. It means:
It is not the word for demanding or commanding; it is a word appropriate for a child to a father, or a subject to a king. Yet in the New Testament, *aiteō* is often used in contexts of clear expectation of receiving:
> “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit… and so that whatever you ask (*aiteō*) in my name the Father will give you.” (John 15:16)
So “ask” is not begging in uncertainty; it is a reverent presentation of a need, with confidence in the character of the one asked.
### 2. “Knock” – Greek: *krouō* (κρούω)
The verb “knock” (*krouō*) means:
It is used in Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says:
> “Behold, I stand at the door and knock (*krouō*). If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
This shows that “knocking” speaks of persistent action aimed at gaining access or entry. It is not a single, half-hearted tap; it is earnest and continued until the door opens.
Putting these two together:
This deepens the lyrics: *“Ask, seek, knock—God opens the door to those who come.”* He does not open to the indifferent. He opens to those who come, who ask, who persist, who act in faith.
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### Stanza 1
> For everyone who asks receives,
> and the one who seeks finds,
> and to the one who knocks
> the door will be opened.
This first stanza is almost a verbatim restatement of Matthew 7:8. It emphasizes the universality: “everyone”.
Notice three progressions:
1. Ask — receive: This relates to specific needs and requests.
2. Seek — find: This speaks of pursuit: seeking God, His will, His kingdom, His presence.
3. Knock — door opened: This indicates access: entering into new realms of grace, opportunity, ministry, or revelation.
These three stages parallel other Scriptures:
“Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved…” (John 10:9)
So the first stanza presents a full pattern of relationship with God:
This challenges passive Christianity. There is a wrong teaching that says, “If God wants to give, He will. I just wait.” That is not what Jesus taught. He said, “Ask… seek… knock.” You are to move toward God in faith.
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### Stanza 2
> Everyone who asks receives,
> the one who seeks finds,
> and to the one who knocks
> the door will be opened.
> Ask, seek, knock—
> God opens the door to those who come.
Here the repetition itself is instructional. When Scripture repeats something, it is not filler; it is emphasis. Jesus Himself repeated this promise (compare Matthew 7:7–8; Luke 11:9–10).
In Luke 11, Jesus connects this with a parable of importunity, or shameless persistence (Luke 11:5–8). A man knocks at his friend’s door at midnight asking for bread. The friend does not rise up because of friendship, but because of the man’s persistence.
Jesus uses that parable to show that persistent asking is not an insult to God. On the contrary, it is honored by God. The lyrics say: “God opens the door to those who come.” Not to those who stay away, offended, passive, or doubtful.
This exposes a spiritual problem: many of God’s people stand at closed doors and complain, but they never knock in faith. Or they knock once and walk away offended if there is no immediate answer.
Scripture is clear:
> “You do not have because you do not ask God.” (James 4:2)
Lack is not always due to God’s will. Often it is due to our failure to ask, seek, and knock.
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### Stanza 3
> And whatever you ask in prayer,
> believe that you have received it,
> and it will be yours.
This stanza is based on Mark 11:24. Here the Lord adds a crucial dimension: faith and timing.
“Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Notice the order:
1. You ask in prayer.
2. You believe that you have received (past tense in your heart).
3. Then “it will be” (future) in your experience.
There is a gap between receiving by faith and receiving in manifestation. Faith receives at the moment of asking, before any outward change. That is the realm where spiritual warfare often takes place.
The devil will attack right at this point: “Nothing has changed. God has not heard you. This does not work.” If you accept those lies, you withdraw your faith and lose what you received.
But if you hold your confession in line with God’s Word, you will see the manifestation in due time.
Cross-reference:
> “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask (*aiteō*) anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us… we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14–15)
Again, receiving comes *when we know He hears us*, not when we see the answer. Many believers are waiting to see, before they believe. That is not faith; that is sight.
The song states the principle plainly: “believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” That is not presumption; it is obedience to Jesus’ own instruction.
Two important boundaries:
Within that framework, the promises are astonishingly broad.
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### Stanza 4
> If you then, though you are evil,
> know how to give good gifts to your children,
> how much more will your Father in heaven
> give good gifts to those who ask him!
Jesus now anchors prayer in the nature of God as Father. The contrast is deliberate:
Yet even fallen fathers instinctively want to give good gifts to their children. A normal father does not enjoy withholding good from his child.
Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater: if this is true on the human level, how much more on the divine level?
Luke’s parallel makes the promise even more specific:
> “…how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)
So two things are in view:
1. “Good things” – every good gift needed for life and godliness (Matthew 7:11; James 1:17; 2 Peter 1:3).
2. The Holy Spirit Himself – the greatest gift, the Gift who brings all other gifts (Luke 11:13).
Many believers ask for things but never ask for the Holy Spirit’s fullness. Yet Jesus says the Father is particularly eager to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.
Spiritual warfare often centers around this. The enemy resists believers being filled with the Spirit because a Spirit-filled Christian is a dangerous Christian. Therefore, apathy about the Holy Spirit is not neutral; it is a victory for the enemy.
The lyrics remind us: God is a Father who “gives good gifts to those who ask him.” Our role is not to persuade a reluctant God, but to come as trusting children to a generous Father.
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### Stanza 5
> Ask in faith, seek with persistence,
> knock with expectation—
> your heavenly Father gives generously.
Here the lyrics gather the biblical requirements:
1. Ask in faith
2. Seek with persistence
3. Knock with expectation
Each line corresponds to scriptural principles.
#### Ask in faith
James 1:6–7:
> “But when you ask (*aiteō*), you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea… That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
Faith is not optional for answered prayer. Asking with doubt cancels the expectation of receiving. Faith is not a feeling; it is a decision to treat God’s Word as true, regardless of appearance.
#### Seek with persistence
Hebrews 11:6:
> “…he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Not casual seekers. Earnest seekers. There is a cost to seeking. It implies time, focus, hunger, and refusal to be turned aside.
Jeremiah 29:13:
> “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Persistent seeking is a heart issue. Many never find because they never truly seek with their whole heart.
#### Knock with expectation
Expectation is hope based on knowledge of God’s character. You do not knock on a door you expect to remain closed. You knock because you believe there is someone on the other side who will open.
Psalm 62:5:
> “My soul, wait silently for God alone,
> for my expectation is from Him.” (NKJV)
A believer who knocks with expectation says internally: “My Father is good. He will open what is from Him, and He will close what is not. Either way, I trust His decision.”
The lyric concludes: “your heavenly Father gives generously.” That aligns with:
> “He gives us richly all things to enjoy.” (1 Timothy 6:17, NKJV)
> “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)
God’s generosity is measured at the cross. If He did not spare His Son, it is impossible that He is stingy with lesser things.
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### Final Refrain
> Everyone who asks receives,
> the one who seeks finds,
> and to the one who knocks
> the door will be opened.
> Ask, seek, knock—
> God opens the door to those who come.
The repetition returns us to the central assurance. This is the antidote to unbelief and passivity. The refrain is a confession we need to have in our mouths and hearts.
It also implies responsibility. If:
then failure to receive, find, or enter cannot be laid wholly at God’s feet. Our part must be examined.
These words confront us: Are we asking? Are we seeking? Are we knocking? Are we doing so in faith, persistence, and expectation?
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Let us now move from doctrine to practice. How do we “open doors of faith” in daily life?
### 1. First, establish God as Father in your heart
Many struggle in prayer because they do not truly know God as Father. Jesus made the Fatherhood of God the foundation of prayer:
> “Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9)
Practical steps:
Without this foundation, “ask, seek, knock” will feel like trying to convince a reluctant judge, not coming to a loving Father.
### 2. Second, align your asking with God’s will and Word
We are not promised that God will endorse our carnal desires. We are promised that He will answer prayer according to His will.
> “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)
How do we align with His will?
Then ask boldly for what you know is in line with His will: salvation, holiness, wisdom, provision for His purposes, the fullness of the Spirit, fruitfulness, spiritual gifts, open doors for the gospel (Colossians 4:3).
### 3. Third, practice faith at the moment of asking
When you bring a request to God:
You may say something like:
“Father, I have asked according to Your Word. You have heard me. I now receive, by faith, the answer. I thank You for it, before I see it. I hold fast to this, and I expect the manifestation in Your time and way.”
Then maintain your confession. Do not cancel your prayer with words of doubt later.
### 4. Fourth, persist in seeking and knocking
Some things are not obtained by a single prayer. They require:
Examples of “doors”:
Practical persistence:
Do not interpret delay as denial. Often, God is preparing you for the door He will open.
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### Proclamation
Say this aloud, thoughtfully and deliberately:
“I proclaim that God is my Father in heaven, and He is good.
I believe the words of Jesus:
Everyone who asks receives,
the one who seeks finds,
and to the one who knocks the door will be opened.
Therefore, I choose to ask in faith,
to seek with persistence,
and to knock with expectation.
My Father gives good gifts to those who ask Him.
He gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
Whatever I ask in prayer,
when I believe that I receive it,
it will be mine, according to His will and His Word.
I renounce unbelief, passivity, and fear.
I come as a child to a generous Father.
In the name of Jesus,
I step through the open doors of faith
that my Father sets before me. Amen.”
### Prayer
“Father in heaven, I thank You that You are not reluctant but generous. Forgive me for every time I have doubted Your goodness, or accused You in my heart when doors seemed closed.
Lord Jesus, I receive Your words as absolute truth: that everyone who asks receives, who seeks finds, and who knocks has doors opened. Holy Spirit, teach me how to ask in faith, seek earnestly, and knock persistently.
Where my heart has grown weary or discouraged, renew my hope. Where I have asked wrongly, correct my desires. Where I have been passive, stir me to action. I ask You now, Father, for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, and for the grace to walk in these promises.
Open to me every door that is from You, and close every door that is not. I choose to trust Your wisdom in both. I thank You in advance for the answers You are already sending. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.”
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