21 Days of Prayer: Day 1 - Kerry Shook
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“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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!”
Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV)
Set your sails with me for a 21 Day Journey of Prayer. It’ll be an adventure you’ll never forget as we navigate the high seas of God’s promises to those who will seek Him first. Prayer is the highest privilege and greatest responsibility of every Christ follower! Prayer connects us with God instantly! He is only a prayer away. The Bible is filled with prayer promises and models to help us learn to pray.
To make our journey more dynamic, you’ll want to get a journal or notebook to log your journey and record what God is doing in response to your prayers. It will become your greatest evidence for the existence of God in your life and His love for you.
Let’s begin with one of the great promises Jesus gave in His Sermon on The Mount in Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV), where He teaches practical and proven principles on prayer that will make anyone’s prayer life dynamic! From the simplicity of asking, to the persistence of seeking, prayer opens doors into deeper dimensions of God’s love for His children. Look at what He says with me for a moment. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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!”
Ask. Simple enough? Yet how often have we failed to simply ask God? Apparently, we are not alone. James 4:2c (NLT) says, “… you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” I imagine a warehouse in heaven filled with stuff labeled, “Not asked for.” Wouldn’t that be a shame? So go ahead and ask. He won’t shame you for asking. In fact, Jesus uses an illustration of familial love to underscore the desire our Heavenly Father has to give us “good gifts.” He says, “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?” Matthew 7:11 (NIV)
Like any good father, when you ask, the answer could be yes, of course. It could be no; I have something better for you. Or it could be not now. No matter the response, it shouldn’t keep you from asking. Hidden in this promise is the principle of persistence in our request. The New Living Translation helps us here. It says, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” In other words, the request is continuous. Ask and keep on asking. Be persistent. Don’t quit. When Jesus told His followers to ask and keep on asking, He didn’t mean to pray with endless repetition or some rote mantra. Persistent prayer means keeping our requests continually before God with an attitude of confidence and gratitude that He hears our prayers and will answer them in His time. Sometimes God may be testing how badly we really want what we are requesting. Are we genuinely burdened and broken, or is it just a passing desire? How quickly will we give up praying when there is a delay to our prayer? God has good reasons when He delays in answering our prayers. Persistence in prayer helps us to grow in character, faith, and hope. It helps us to clearly examine our motives and needs.
If you’ve prayed and nothing has happened, you may find yourself in the stormy seas of delay. Don’t give up. Check out what Daniel did in Daniel 10 or Elijah in 1 Kings 18. Daniel prayed for 21 days before the answer came. What if he quit asking on Day 20? Elijah prayed seven times before he saw any evidence of God answering. What if he stopped after the sixth time he prayed? Since God had not said no to either one of them, they kept asking. How about you? If you’ve given up praying for that lost loved one or the desire of your heart, make another request. Seek God and press into prayer for the next 21 days. See what God does. God is at work. He hasn’t forgotten you. Practice the simple prayer method I’ve found effective. I call it P.U.S.H – Pray Until Something Happens and never give up!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.