The Promise to Praying Disciples
What the Church Needs Now
What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.
If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, he will be in the last place the remainder of the day.
Promise of Simplicity
Prayer does not depend on the language we use but on the attitude of our heart.
Promise of Surety
Jesus tells his followers to ask, to seek and to knock. He assures them that in each case there will be the appropriate response. All three verbs are continuous: Jesus is not speaking of single activities, but of those that persist. He is speaking of an attitude similar to that taught by the parable. The repetition in verse 10 underlines the certainty of the response. People ought not to think of God as unwilling to give: he is always ready to give good gifts to his people.
With all three commands in this verse, Jesus encourages His followers to anticipate God’s generosity and kindness.
Promise of Sincerity
This is driven home with a couple of illustrations from human conduct. Jesus asks what father will give harmful things, a serpent or a scorpion, when his child asks for something to eat.
it is important that they do their part by asking. Jesus does not say and does not mean that, if we pray, we will always get exactly what we ask for. After all, ‘No’ is just as definite an answer as ‘Yes’. He is saying that true prayer is neither unheard nor unheeded. It is always answered in the way God sees is best.
“The purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven but to get God’s will done on earth.”