Mensa Otabil - Ask, Seek, Knock (09/27/2025)
Welcome to day number 17 of our 40 days of power. Today, we’re talking about asking, seeking, and knocking—something Jesus said we should be doing.
Matthew chapter 7, verses 7 to 8: «Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened.»
Although God knows our needs, He expects us to ask Him to do something about our problems. He respects our free will and the free will He has given us. That means we must be involved in what He wants to do in our lives. God doesn’t just burst into our lives; He wants us to invite Him into our situations. He wants us to show that we need Him and that we want Him to do something. He knows everything, but He wants you to get involved in the miracle He wants to perform in your life.
In this passage, Jesus tells us three different ways by which God wants us to involve Him in our lives. The first is asking. Asking is simply making a request. When we ask for something from God, we express our desires and ask Him to address them. Whatever those desires are, once they align with His will and purposes, He says He will fulfill them.
Then Jesus says that, in addition to asking, there is something more intense we can do, and that is seeking. Seeking is a more intense form of prayer—it means looking for something. It is akin to someone searching for something that is lost, sweeping under beds and cupboards to ensure that what was lost is found. Seeking typically pertains to something we once had but lost, and now we want God to restore it to our lives. This is somewhat different from asking; asking is simply expressing our desire, while seeking denotes restoration and recovery. However, seeking requires more persistence—whereas you can ask once, you must seek often.
The third thing He talks about is knocking. Knocking is the most persistent form of prayer. It means knocking and knocking and knocking, constantly asking. It’s what the Bible calls fervent prayer—prayer that is persistent and does not give up.
In asking, you can do it once; in seeking, you’ve already had what you lost, but you are now asking God to restore it to you. In knocking, you’re saying to God, «I will remain in this prayer. I will pray, ask, and believe in You until I see that miracle.» All three steps are important: you can ask, you can seek, and you can knock. It’s time for us to apply this in our prayer lives.
Why don’t we share a word of prayer together? Say with me: «Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithfulness in answering my prayers. Today, I receive from You. I recover what was lost, and I have new doors opening to me in Jesus' name. Amen.»
Well, I believe that when you ask, you will receive; when you seek, you will find; and when you knock, it will be opened to you. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.