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“Let us look at what the Word of God says.”
> “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
> — Matthew 7:8 (ESV)
This is the central declaration behind the lyrics you have given. It is a revelation of how God has ordered the spiritual life of His children. It shows us that God has ordained a pattern—*ask, seek, knock*—and that He has committed Himself to respond to those who come to Him on His terms.
The related verses expand this:
> “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
> — Matthew 7:7
> “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
> — Matthew 7:11
And from another passage that echoes the same principle:
> “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
> — Mark 11:24
The song is built around this divine pattern:
And the sure outcome:
This is not human optimism. This is covenant language. God binds Himself by His Word to respond to those who meet His conditions of faith, persistence, and right relationship.
Our aim is to understand:
Not just to have a doctrine of “asking” and “receiving,” but to walk in it.
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These verses come from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), where Jesus lays out the constitution of the kingdom of heaven. He is not speaking to the crowds in a general way only; He is forming the mind and lifestyle of disciples.
The background is important:
1. To whom is He speaking?
He is speaking primarily to disciples—those who have already chosen to follow Him (Matthew 5:1-2). This is not a general promise to all humanity in an unqualified sense, but a covenant promise to those who come under His lordship.
2. What has He just been teaching?
In Matthew 6 He has been dealing with:
Then, in Matthew 7, He warns about judging others, about hypocrisy, and about discretion in sharing holy things (Matthew 7:6). Immediately after this caution about not casting pearls before swine, He says:
> “Ask… seek… knock…”
In other words:
3. What is the situation of the disciples?
They are weak, inexperienced, surrounded by opposition, and facing a lifestyle radically different from the religious norms of their day. They need wisdom, provision, guidance, power. Jesus does not send them into this new way of life without a supply line. The supply line is prayer—ask, seek, knock.
4. Who is speaking?
The One who speaks is the Son of God, the perfect revelation of the Father’s heart. He is not guessing about how God may respond. He is declaring the Father’s disposition toward His children.
So these promises are not abstract religious ideas. They are the operating instructions of the kingdom. Jesus is saying: *Here is how heaven’s resources become available on earth: Ask, seek, knock.*
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To understand this pattern, we need to look carefully at some key words.
### 1. “Ask” – *aiteō* (αἰτέω)
The Greek word translated “ask” is aiteō. It does not mean a vague wishing. It means:
It is in the present continuous tense: “Keep on asking.”
This implies ongoing dependence, not a one-time religious experiment.
This deepens our understanding:
### 2. “Knock” – *krouō* (κρούω)
“Knock” is krouō, again in the present continuous tense: “Keep on knocking.”
Literally:
In the culture of the Bible, knocking is the action of one who believes they have the right to be admitted. They do not wander around in doubt; they go to a door with a purpose.
This is not the knocking of a stranger, but of one who knows there is relationship and provision on the other side.
### 3. “Father” – *patēr* (πατήρ)
Though not in Matthew 7:8 itself, verse 11 anchors the whole promise:
> “Your Father who is in heaven will give good things to those who ask him.”
*Patēr* speaks of:
So the promise “everyone who asks receives” is not mechanical. It is relational. It is rooted in Fatherhood.
The song captures this: “God opens the door to those who come… your heavenly Father gives generously.” This is consistent with the Greek text. The act of knocking is not forcing God; it is approaching a willing Father on His terms.
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We will take the themes in the lyrics and open them in light of Scripture.
### A. “For everyone who asks receives…”
> “For everyone who asks receives,
> and the one who seeks finds,
> and to the one who knocks
> the door will be opened.”
This is almost a direct quote of Matthew 7:8. Notice the word everyone.
Now, Scripture interprets Scripture. Does this mean everyone without exception, regardless of their relationship, motive, or the content of their request? The same New Testament gives conditions:
1. Ask in Jesus’ Name
> “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do…” (John 14:13)
2. Ask according to God’s will
> “If we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John 5:14)
3. Ask with right motives
> “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3)
4. Ask in faith, without doubting
> “Let him ask in faith, with no doubting… that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.” (James 1:6–7)
So “everyone” here means:
Under those conditions, the promise is universal and certain: everyone who asks (like this) receives.
This makes the lyrics more than a simple repetition of a phrase. It is a summary of a covenant pattern.
### B. “Ask, seek, knock—God opens the door to those who come.”
Here we have the threefold progression:
1. Ask – For what you know is God’s will, based on His Word.
2. Seek – For what you do not yet fully see or understand.
3. Knock – When you are at a boundary, a closed door, and you need access or breakthrough.
We find the same progression in other passages:
Spiritual reality:
In spiritual warfare, doors often represent:
The song’s refrain “God opens the door to those who come” aligns with Hebrews 11:6:
> “He rewards those who seek him.”
God is not reluctant. But He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek, not of those who are casual or double-minded.
### C. “And whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it…”
> “And whatever you ask in prayer,
> believe that you have received it,
> and it will be yours.”
This reflects Mark 11:24. Here we find a crucial principle of faith:
The order in the verse:
1. “Whatever you ask in prayer” – the act of asking.
2. “Believe that you have received it” – settle it inwardly, take it as granted because God has promised it.
3. “And it will be yours” – the future manifestation in the visible realm.
Faith is not presumption. Faith is responding to God’s revealed will with trust. Where God has given a clear promise, faith says, “It is done, because God has spoken.”
This is spiritual warfare. The battlefield is:
The antidote is what the lyrics model: confessing and agreeing with the Word.
### D. “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts…”
> “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 contrasts fallen human fathers with the perfect heavenly Father.
Spiritual truths here:
1. Even sinful people understand the instinct to give good gifts to their children.
2. God’s heart is infinitely better than the best earthly parent.
3. Therefore it is a distortion of God’s character to think that He delights to withhold good.
Luke’s parallel passage deepens it:
> “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)
Here, the supreme “good gift” is the Holy Spirit Himself. So:
The lyrics: “your heavenly Father gives generously.” This matches James 1:5:
> “…God, who gives generously to all without reproach…”
This is crucial in deliverance and spiritual growth. Many believers are held back by a wrong image of God—seeing Him as reluctant, tight-fisted, or easily irritated. Jesus corrects this: the Father delights to give what is truly good.
### E. “Ask in faith, seek with persistence, knock with expectation…”
We have here three indispensable spiritual attitudes:
1. Ask in faith
2. Seek with persistence
3. Knock with expectation
Spiritually, when you:
You are aligning yourself with the laws of the kingdom. You become a person whom God can trust with answered prayer, because you are standing on His Word in the right spirit.
---
We need to translate these truths into clear steps. Not theory, but practice.
### Step 1: Establish Your Relationship with the Father
These promises are addressed to children of God. The first question is: *Am I truly in the family?*
> “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
First, we must:
Without this, “ask, seek, knock” degenerates into religious technique. With this, it becomes filial access to a loving Father.
If you are a believer but wounded in your concept of “father,” ask the Holy Spirit to heal your image of God through the Word, especially Matthew 7:11, James 1:17, Psalm 103:13.
### Step 2: Align Your Asking with the Word and Will of God
Second, we must:
Practical pattern:
1. Identify the area of need (wisdom, deliverance, provision, guidance).
2. Search the Scriptures for God’s revealed will in that area.
3. Form a prayer based on the Word, e.g.:
Then pray: “Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus, asking You to do what You have promised in Your Word…”
This shifts your prayer from wishful thinking to covenant claim.
### Step 3: Persist in Seeking and Knocking Until the Door Opens
Third, we must:
Some answers are immediate. Others require process because:
Ephesians 6:18 commands:
> “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance…”
Perseverance is not a lack of faith; it is the expression of faith under delay.
Practically:
You are not trying to change God’s mind; you are resisting the enemy and aligning your soul.
### Step 4: Combine Asking with Believing and Confessing
Fourth, we must:
2 Corinthians 4:13:
> “I believed, and so I spoke…”
Practical applications:
This is where spiritual warfare becomes very concrete. You are using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
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### Proclamation (Say this aloud thoughtfully and decisively)
“I proclaim that I have a Father in heaven who gives good gifts to His children.
I am His child through faith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, I come to Him to ask, to seek, and to knock.
According to Matthew 7:7–8,
when I ask, it is given to me;
when I seek, I find;
when I knock, the door is opened.
According to Mark 11:24,
whatever I ask in prayer, according to His will and in the name of Jesus,
I believe that I have received it, and it will be mine.
My heavenly Father is not reluctant or withholding.
He gives good things, and He gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
I reject unbelief, fear, and wrong images of God.
I choose to ask in faith, seek with persistence, and knock with expectation.
God opens the door to those who come, and I come to Him.”
### Prayer
“Father in heaven,
I thank You that You have revealed Yourself through Your Son as a good and generous Father.
Forgive me for every doubt, every suspicion, and every wrong thought I have had about Your goodness.
In the name of Jesus, I choose to take You at Your Word:
to ask and keep on asking,
to seek and keep on seeking,
to knock and keep on knocking.
Where my faith is weak, strengthen it by Your Holy Spirit.
Where there are doors of fear, bondage, or limitation before me,
I ask You to open them in accordance with Your will and Your timing.
Teach me to pray according to Your Word.
Make me a faithful son or daughter who knows how to receive from You,
not for selfish purposes, but that Your kingdom may come
and Your will be done in my life.
I thank You now that You hear me,
and that as I ask in faith, I will receive;
as I seek, I will find;
and as I knock, it will be opened unto me.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.”
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