Ask and Believe

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9 

Do you believe these words? I know that it’s God’s word and an easy answer would be to say, “Yes, of course!”… but step back and be honest. 

Do you believe that when you ask God for something it WILL be given to you?

Do you believe that when you seek, you WILL find?

Do you believe that when you knock, it WILL be opened to you?

Or do you read this today and think, “Lord, I’ve asked and been left with empty hands. I’ve sought and grown weary in my search. I’ve knocked and knocked and knocked, but the door was not opened to me.”

If you read that last part this morning and that’s you, know that you are not alone. 

But I want to challenge you this morning by asking, what are you doing in the meantime? What are you doing when you aren’t receiving answers, you aren’t finding what you are seeking, and the doors just don’t seem to be opening? 

We are so susceptible to growing weary in our pursuit when we aren’t seeing the fruit of our prayers. But friends, our weariness is an open door for the enemy. Our weariness can quickly become the foundation for doubt and deception. Our weariness can lead to greater destruction if we are not intentional and cautious with the minutes of our ‘meantime’.

Can I encourage you today, instead of slipping into weariness in the waiting, to take a deep dive into the Word of God? 

More than once in the recent months, I have found myself waiting for answers in various situations and to be honest, there have been times when I have grown weary. Throughout the waves of my weariness, I began turning to friends and family for their opinions and answers. I began desiring their validation and direction. I wandered in trying to seek and find on my own… after all, isn’t that easier than waiting? Isn’t that more realistic than just sitting here, waiting for “it” to appear? And I nearly took control of kicking down the doors in my way and slamming the doors that just didn’t seem to fit into my plan or the path that I was on. 

This week, as I was awaiting an answer that has been highly prayed upon by myself and many others alongside me, I was led to Luke 11:9.

“Lord,” I thought, “I have asked. I have been seeking you and your will in this matter for months. I have knocked and knocked and knocked, but here I am, at a crossroads and without your direction. I am without the clarity that I have been asking for since the very first glimpse of this situation. Have you heard my cry? Have I missed your answer? What am I to do now? Where am I to go?”

As I sat in my chair and continued to dwell on this verse and these thoughts, I noticed a reference in my Bible that linked Luke 11:9 to several other scriptures. One by one, I typed out the verses that were listed. 

Over and over again, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness and His responsiveness to our prayers. 

“Call out to me and I will deliver you.” 

“Call to me and I will answer.” 

“Ask and it will be given.” 

“Seek the Lord.”

How incredible it is that we have a God that will respond to our cries, our hurts, and our questions. That in itself is simply beautiful, and we could easily stop here and just delight in the stillness of that truth. Yet there was even more laced into His words. We too, have a greater role in this scenario. Just as the Lord listens and responds, we are to ask and believe.

Matthew 21:22 tells us “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Similarly John 15:7 says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”

Friends. Our role does not stop at asking the question, nor does it stop at seeking or knocking. Instead of asking and falling into weariness in the waiting, let us more greatly show our belief in His word by abiding in Him as we wait. Let us BELIEVE that not only has He heard our plea, but that He is at work accordingly. 

Let us BELIEVE that when we ask God for something it WILL be given to us. 

Let us BELIEVE that when we seek, we WILL find.

Let us BELIEVE that when we knock, it WILL be opened to us.

Be reminded that this does not mean that God will give us whatever we want, whenever we want it, and however we want it. Part of the importance of abiding in Him in the process is aligning our hearts with His heart and our will with His will. As this happens, our prayer begin to shift from wanting a brand new car or a high paying job to desiring more of God or opportunities to share the love of Christ to those around us. Even then, we are to know that our prayers fall at the feet of a sovereign and all-knowing God.

It is when our prayers align with the will of God and that they are poured out from a believing heart, that we will see God’s already existing faithfulness with greater clarity.

Below you will find that list of scriptures that I typed out and I want to encourage you to take some time with each verse – especially if you have been asking, seeking, and knocking and right now you are waiting. Do not grow weary. Do not crack that door for the enemy. Instead, turn to the words of your God, knowing and believing that He has heard you and that He is at work for you. 

Psalm 50:14-15 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will honor me.”

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” 

Matthew 21:22 “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.” 

James 1:5-6 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

1 John 3:22 “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases Him.” 

1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.” 

Isiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”

I will end by telling you that just one day after writing these scriptures, the Lord did answer my prayer with great clarity and direction as to a next step, BUT please know that this message would not have changed if He hadn’t. Don’t get me wrong, God’s response to this prayer has left me in awe of His goodness once again, but it was the truth of the scriptures above that ultimately lifted my hope and gave me peace in the process. This one answer is an absolute blessing, but God’s faithfulness is eternal and everlasting.

Let us ask and believe today. 

Let us not grow weary, but dive into the Word of God in our waiting today.

Let us be reminded of the everlasting faithfulness of our God today and in every day to come.  

With love, 

Your Sister in Christ.