Matthew 7:7-8 Is Not A Blanket Promise

                                                                          
"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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."  
                                                                                   -Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

"Ask and you shall receive" is a phrase of Jesus' that occurs several times in the Gospels in various forms. Too often it has been taken out of context and misinterpreted to mean "ask for anything you want and I'll give it to you". 

Jesus goes on to say in verse 11 "...how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" This same discourse is repeated in Luke 11:9-13 but the words "good things" are replaced with "the Holy Spirit".  The good gift God wants to give His children is the Holy Spirit as we can also see in Acts 2:38 which reads, "And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one  of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it."     John 14:13-14 (ESV)

To ask anything of God as our Father and to do so in His name we must first be as His child. When one follows the instructions of Acts 2:38, they becomes a child of God. If as His child we ask for something and the answer is "no" we may be inclined to be frustrated but don't loose heart. "No" can also mean "Not now" as our desires and requests must be in harmony with His will.
When we finish our prayers "in Jesus Name" we are saying that above all may His will be done, not ours. 
 
Are you asking God according to His will? This can be a tough one to know. Of course, the Scriptures do reveal much of God's will for our lives but in specific areas or circumstances is what we want actually His will?  If what we want is not God's will, we should not really want to receive it should we? 

The real challenge then is aligning our wants to God's will. Like in any relationship the stronger and closer the relationship the better one understands the other. The closer we strive to get in fellowship to God the clearer His will becomes and the easier it will be to know what to ask for in His name.  This is where faith comes in because without faith it is impossible to please God. 

Another important point to make that is often lost in many English translations is the fact that this text in Matthew 7:7-8 it is not referring to a one time request. In the Greek it is not simply "ask", "seek" or "knock" but "ask and keep on asking", "seek and keep on seeking" and "knock and keep on knocking".  Though I'm usually not a fan of the New Living Translation in this instance it gets it right.

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."

                                                                                         -Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

We are to keep on praying or as Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "pray without ceasing". 

We are not only to "ask" but to actively "seek" that which we ask for and to persistently "knock" or pursue God's good and perfect will for our lives.  This is not a passive activity. To truly ask, seek and knock takes time, energy and work.

So don't give up! Keep on seeking and asking and watch your faith grow!