Keeping On

Earlier today I read Jesus' instruction in [Luke 11:9-10] "So I say to you, keep asking and it will be given to you. Keep searching and you will find. Keep knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

All of us at one time or other have asked and not received what we asked from God. Does that mean we quit asking. No, we keep on asking all the while seeking to make sure our asking is in accordance with His will. [I Jn 5:14-15] Many years ago I read a statement by prayer warrior E.M. Bounds who wrote that you could fill an ocean with the unanswered prayers of people because they gave up praying too soon. Keep asking God for those things you need, desire and believe Him for. Though the answer may delay according to our schedules God is always right on time.

Keep searching and you will find. Keep seeking Him and more revelation of Him through His word. Keep seeking His peace and comfort and you will find them in the difficult times. Keep searching for His direction for your life and He will show you the the path. Keep searching for those who do not know Christ as Savior and you will find your path crosses theirs.

Keep on knocking and the door will be opened. You may have had doors shut on you to get a job. Keep asking, searching and knocking. God will open a door for you like for the lady I recently talked to at church who landed a great job after asking, searching, and knocking. Doors may have shut for you  to get married. Keep waiting and trusting the Lord. Maybe you have experienced dead end after dead end as doors have remained closed to you. That does not mean the doors will always remain closed to you. Trust God to open whatever strategic doors need to be opened and opened when they need to be opened.

We are prone to give up too easily. I love the way this translation of this passage puts it. We are to keep on asking, to keep on searching, and to keep on knocking. This is continuous action. It is not a one time prayer like so many of us ask. This is day in and day out praying. This speaks to perseverance and never giving up. This smacks of unrelenting resolve.

The exercise of prayer can be discouraging. Lost souls do not always get saved right away. There are people I still pray for God to save after five years who show no indication of any desire for the things of God. Doors do not always open for us like we would want. Most of us know what it is like to have a door closed on a dream. A shut door does not mean we should give up but it might just mean the timing is not right.

I know I am challenged this morning to keep on asking, searching, and knocking. This is the way the purposes of God in our lives, families and communities are advanced. Persevering prayer is of paramount in importance. You may read this today and be very discouraged that you have not received, not found what you have been seeking or not had doors open for you. You just haven't experienced those things yet. That does not mean you will never will. Keep on keeping on. May God never say of us we gave up too soon.

In some cases you might be asking for the wrong things, seeking the wrong things, and knocking on the wrong doors. There are times when God denies our requests because it is not in His plan. He knows better than us. If I am knocking on the wrong door God is not obligated to open it for me. I am grateful God has shut some doors in my life and left them locked tight no matter how I cried out to Him to open them. He has our best interest in mind. Sometimes doors remain closed for our protection.

Many times God delays in answering prayer  simply because the timing is not right. In those cases God is telling us to wait. If you are going to learn to pray you are going to have to learn patience. You must learn that God is not often in a hurry but He is never late. His timing is perfect. That is a major trust issue for many reading this.

We all love it when God says, "Yes. You can have what you have been asking for." Until that day comes the great challenge is to keep asking, seeking and knocking with faith and fervency. Some keep on asking, searching and knocking but they no longer believe. They go through the motions. Keep on brothers and sisters. The answer for all of us may be closer than we think. This is not the time to give up. Keep on!