The Mystery of Prayer: Asking, Seeking, Knocking
March 13, 2025 - Thursday of the First Week in Lent
Matthew 7:7-12
"Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." This passage is one of the most encouraging in the Bible. It presents God as a loving Father who knows what his children need and is more than willing to provide for them. And yet, many people might say: "I have asked, but I did not receive; I have searched, but I did not find; I have knocked, but the door remained closed."
One of U2’s most famous songs, "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For", captures this sentiment well. How many of us resonate with that phrase? Jesus himself tells parables where people knock at the door—whether at the master’s house or at the gates of heaven—only to find it shut (Matt 25:1-13; Luke 13:25). So does everyone who asks truly receive? Does everyone who seeks always find?
The Mystery of Answered and Unanswered Prayers
There are countless testimonies of answered prayers—stories of people who asked, sought, and knocked, and whose prayers were granted. In the Gospels, Jesus tells parables of a shepherd searching for his lost sheep and a woman searching for her lost coin—both of whom find what they were looking for (Luke 15:3-6). Then there is the man who persistently knocks on his friend’s door in the middle of the night and, in the end, receives the bread he needs (Luke 11:5-8).
So why do some people receive what they pray for while others do not? The simple answer is: we don’t know—it’s a mystery.
Some attempt to explain this by saying that prayer’s effectiveness depends on personal holiness or closeness to God. As Proverbs states: “The Lord is far from the wicked, but hears the prayer of the righteous” (Prov 15:29). Others, following the apostle James, suggest that prayers go unanswered because they are asked without faith or with the wrong intentions (James 1:5-8; 4:3). Finally, some argue that, like a loving parent, God will not grant a request that could ultimately harm us. We, like little children, may think our requests are urgent, reasonable, and necessary, but God, in his wisdom, sometimes says "no" or gives us something else instead.
Trusting the Father Who Knows Best
Jesus' words about prayer invite us to explore the depth of God's generosity while remembering that he knows better than we do. Even his "no" is an expression of his love and care. Our calling is to keep asking, seeking, and knocking—not as a formula to get what we want, but as an act of trust in a Father who always gives his children the good things they truly need.