How to Knock and See the Door Opened • Deshen Daily

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matt. 7:7 KJV)

Ask, seek, and knock is the divine formula for inviting God to change our circumstances. While asking is enough for some things, it is inadequate for others; other issues require us to seek or knock to get the answers we want. This devotional examines what it means to knock for it to be opened.

Knocking in this context is a metaphor. Jesus uses the imagery of someone standing in front of a closed door and knocking on it to induce the one inside to open the door. This imagery supposes the one knocking at the door wants something inside of that house, but there is a door that is shut before them. Furthermore, they depend on another inside to respond to the knock and open the door.

The context of Matthew 7:7 is God’s people asking things from Him, seeking answers or solutions, or knocking at His door for Him to open up the blessings He has for them. So, Jesus paints a picture of God’s people knocking at the door and waiting for the Father to open to access the blessings He has for them. However, we must not stretch this metaphor and imagine God is withholding blessings from us and waiting to see if we would knock hard enough. Similarly, this is not about our salvation, as none of us must seek or knock to be saved.

Think of the many things we want from God: healing, deliverance, the move of the Spirit, revival, financial provisions, family unity, the salvation of the lost, etc. There is a room in God full of our blessings in Christ; we need to know how to knock for that door to be opened. Some of these blessings will be ours by just asking God. For others, we will have to seek and go beyond just asking. And yet, for others, seeking is not enough. We must knock for the door to be opened! For example, did you notice revival or financial abundance does not come by merely asking?

So how do we knock? As described earlier, asking, seeking, and knocking represent a spectrum of our actions and efforts. Asking is the least intense and often requires us to tell the Father what we want just as kids do to their parents. Seeking goes one step beyond asking. It demands we put in an effort of some kind to receive what we want. For example, if you want to be full of the Spirit, you cannot just sit on your couch and ask God for it. It does not work that way. The fullness of the Spirit requires more than asking; we will have to seek God in prayer, Word, or encounters with other believers. Beyond seeking, there is knocking. A closed door represents a barrier or obstacle. So, when we knock, we confront the challenges on the way, overcome them, refuse to quit, and continue to press forward despite the odds until the door opens.

A classic example of knocking is the woman with a hemorrhage for 12 years. She had probably asked God to heal her, and nothing happened. Then she went out to seek Jesus wherever He was.. But she encountered multiple obstacles. First, as a woman with a bleeding problem, she risked her life by pressing through those Jewish men. Furthermore, getting to Jesus through the crowds was an enormous obstacle for a woman as frail as she was. Seeking Jesus was no longer enough for her; she had to break through those obstacles without quitting until she reached her goal. Her efforts exemplify what it means to knock. She would have missed her miracle if she had become discouraged after seeing the crowds.

Sadly, many Christians never go beyond asking. Even those who seek often get discouraged and quit when faced with any barrier doors. Some say, for example, “I asked God to deliver or heal me, and nothing has happened yet. I am still believing!” Those who say such things are either comfortable with their problems, or their frustration level with the problem has not reached an intolerable level yet. Don’t settle for what you know is God’s will for you. Ask, and if nothing happens, seek. If you seek and find a door of obstacles, knock on that door until it opens. Jesus says, “to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matt. 7:8).

NB. Deshen LIVE Bible study could not hold yesterday Thursday due to technical problems. We will have us. Bible study tonight Friday at 7pm CST on “How to Function as God’s Priest.

Have you settled on a situation you asked and nothing happened?

Knocking can mean different things. Sometimes, it could just be overcoming discouragement. At other times, it might mean climbing up a tree as Zacchaeus to overcome the door of short stature! Do not be passive in spiritual things—learn to seek and knock as the situation demands.

Ask the Spirit to teach you how to seek and knock to get the answers and solutions you need.