Disciplines of a Godly Man

by R. Kent Hughes

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus enjoined his followers to prayerful tenacity: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7). The language is unusually compelling because the three verbs (“ask . . . seek . . . knock . . .”) indicate an ascending intensity. “Ask” implies requesting assistance for a conscious need. It also suggests humility, for the Greek word here was commonly used by one approaching a superior. “Seek” involves asking, but adds action. The idea is not just to express need, but to get up and look around for help. “Knock” includes asking, plus seeking, plus persevering—for example, one who keeps pounding on a closed door. The stacking of these verbs is powerful, and the fact that they are present imperatives gives them even more punch. Jesus’s words actually read: “Keep on asking, and it will be given to you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you.”