Title Matthew 07:07~12 There is only prayer
Contents
Matthew 7:7-12
There is only prayer!
It is no exaggeration to say that the life of faith is a life of prayer. That is why prayer occupies an absolute place in our religious life. If anyone says that he is earnestly living by faith but neglects to pray, his life of faith is wrong. True faith in God makes us kneel before God and pray. Everyone, I hope you value your prayers. You cannot lead a good life of faith while neglecting prayer.
Prayer must be a top priority. ‘There is no other way for me. There is only prayer.’ This attitude is necessary. Just as a fish cannot live without water, a Christian cannot live without prayer. For Christians, prayer is a lifeline. Through the words of today's text, we hope that we will learn the belief that ‘only prayer!’ and ‘there is nothing but prayer’ and become people who actually pray.
First, you must have a sincere wish.
In today's text, Jesus said, "Ask, seek, and knock." From these repeated emphasizing expressions, we can learn that prayers should contain earnest wishes. To seek here means to seek what is right in front of you. To seek means to look for something that is not in sight. Knocking on the door means discovering what is hidden in the door. Then you have to go from asking to finding, from finding to knocking. It means that we need to pray with more earnestness in our hearts. It is very important to have a wish when praying. True prayer is to pray with more earnest desire until it is answered.
“You will call upon me and come to me and pray, and I will hear your prayers; and if you seek me with all your heart, you will find me and find me.” “The LORD who does the work, the LORD who makes it and fulfills it, thus says the LORD whose name is: Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know.” “I cried out to the LORD in my trouble, and he answered me.” “Call on me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify me.” “As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.” “It is God who works in you, to will and to do for his good pleasure.” Jesus asked Bartimaeus, a blind and beggar, for his wish. “What do you want me to do for you?” Everyone, I hope you have a wish and pray. God wants our earnestness.
Second, you must have perseverance.
In today's text, Jesus said, "Ask, seek, and knock." From this repeated emphasis, we can learn that prayer requires perseverance. You will find that seeking rather than asking, and knocking rather than seeking, requires much more effort and requires patience and perseverance. A person who prays never gives up after asking. Never give up in search. Never give up knocking on the door. Keep asking, keep looking, keep knocking on the door. How long? We have to pray until we get it, until we find it, until it is opened, that is, until we receive an answer. The command Jesus said, ‘Ask, seek, and knock’ is in the present tense. It means keep asking, keep looking, keep knocking.
In Matthew 15, there is a Syrophoenician woman. She had a daughter, who was possessed by a very ferocious demon. I came to Jesus to solve the problem. She cried out and prayed, but Jesus' response was surprising. He ignored her without even looking at her. He refused, saying, “I am not sent anywhere but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He even despised them, saying, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Nevertheless, she did not give up. “Yes, Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” She could never give up. No matter how humiliated and despised, he could not give up. She persevered to the end and finally got an answer.
In Genesis 32, Jacob prayed all night long by the Jabbok River as if he was wrestling with an angel. Even though the phantom was to the point of being dislocated, he never gave up. Patience and persistence are absolutely essential in prayer. The modern age is an era of impatient impatience. Even when we pray, we do not receive answers to our prayers because most of us are impatient. Please pray with patience and perseverance. Please be patient and pray until you receive an answer.
Third, you must have strong faith.
When we pray, God always answers us. If we ask, God will give, if we seek, God will find, and if we knock, God will open it. “If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.” These words are the promises of giving good answers to those who ask. It is worth paying attention to the expression “how much less” here. This is because God gives answers to those who ask, but because people do not believe in this fact, Jesus said with a sad heart, “How much more”
In Matthew 21, Jesus was very hungry when he entered the city of Jerusalem. He wanted fruit from the fig tree, but there was no fruit. So he cursed the tree. When the disciples saw the dried fig tree, they wondered. Then Jesus taught his disciples. “If you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do these things that are done to this fig tree, but you can say to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and whatever you ask in prayer in faith, you will receive. “This is the boldness we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us; and if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we also know that we have obtained what we ask of him.”
The devil tempts us even when we pray. Brings doubts. Doubt is an attribute of the devil. You must have confidence in your prayers being answered. God is still alive today. God is still at work. That is why He listens to our prayers sincerely and answers them faithfully. Who is God? He is “a God who gives good things to those who ask.” According to Ephesians 3:20, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly in our prayers and thoughts.
tidy up.
Just as a fish cannot live without water, a Christian cannot live without prayer. For Christians, prayer is life. How is your prayer life? Do you view prayer as life? Do you pray with a desperate feeling that “there is nothing but prayer”? Our prayers must contain earnest wishes, persistence, and solid faith.