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“EXILES ASK THEIR KING” - MATTHEW 7:7-12

Word Study: “ask, seek, knock” are imperatives, these are actions that we must undertake AND “ask, seek, knock” are in the present tense (“keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking…”)

                      -The idea is persistent prayer = conveys to us the sense of urgency, relentlessness, boldness and confidence, pleading and even desperation

What is the promise made in persistent prayer?
                     -The context of the promise to receive whatever we ask for is always in relation to the work of God (cf. Matt. 18:19; 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13; 15:7, 16; 16:23-24; John 15:16; 1 John 3:22; 5:14f; James 1:5f)

                     -Christ’s promise is not that we have been given a blank cheque through prayer as though God were a genie in a bottle. On the contrary, the promise is that we’ll receive what we ask for, when we ask for what is in alignment with the will of God

1. Disciples of Jesus pray with persistence in hot pursuit of living Kingdom focused (Matt. 7:7-8)
             a.  Persistence is not an attempt to wear God down in giving us our desires, rather persistence is God’s way of training our hearts towards His desires

             b.  Persistence in prayer reflects the utter importance we put on seeking Kingdom living, and in that, is a good measuring tool for how much we want to see Kingdom living fulfilled in our lives
                      i.   To the measure of how important our request is, is the measure of how committed we are to praying for it
                      ii.  The content of our prayers are a good gauge of understanding what really matters to us

              c.  Persistence in prayer is simply having a running conversation with God no matter what other business is at hand. And this is how disciples of Jesus will flourish as exiles in the land
                      i.  When Jesus calls us to follow Him, what He means is, examine My life and copy it
                                    - So then, how did Jesus pray? And what kind of prayers?

                     ii.  “I rarely pray longer than 5 minutes but I rarely go longer than 5 minutes without praying” – Charles Spurgeon

2. Disciples of Jesus pray with persistence to the Father with confidence trusting He is willing to give us good gifts (Matt. 7:9-11)
             a.  Jesus stresses the goodness of the Father and calls us to have complete confidence in His good giving nature

             b.  Be confident that God isn’t playing mind games with us (vs. 9-10)

            c.  Persistence and confidence go hand in hand because they together are a declaration GOD IS GOOD & TRUSTWORTHY!

            d.  When we come seeking help for Kingdom living, we can trust that God will respond and God will give us what we need, what is good for us, the good gifts!

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