the right A.S.K.

by Lucy Kyllonen

Imagine this. You arrive home one day after work, and your front door is wide open. Would you feel comfortable waking in? What would you do?

After hanging out with a friend, how about you head to the parking lot to get your car? You notice one of your car doors open. What is your first thought? How do you react? 

We have two scenarios, each with an open door. In these situations, an open door is not a good thing. It is not always an invitation to enter. Not all doors that are left open are a good sign. 

But when we pray, don’t we pray for open doors? We pray, “Lord, open the door for me to get this new position.” Often times we pray for an open door that will lead to the need or result we want. We present our list to God and wait for him to make all the moves. But that’s not what He teaches us. 

What if I told you that in His Word, God has given us a formula to pray and that the status of the door is up to Him? God teaches us how to pray strategically- A.S.K. or Ask. Seek. Knock. And this method of asking can challenge your way of thinking and your way of praying. 

First of all, I’m not saying that ALL open doors are not good. As a matter of fact, if someone is at my front door, chances are that I invited them to come to my house. I privately disclosed my address to them, and when they arrived at my door and knocked (or rang the doorbell), I invited them into my home. A knock on your door may be someone you have permitted to stop by, including the Amazon or UPS driver! But if not, you are probably not expecting them, in which case you may or may not open the door and pretend like no one is home!

Here’s something unique about doors. The physical doors that we walk through every day at home, work, school, grocery store, etc.- these doors are used for privacy (bathroom), safety (intruders) & used for protection- (valuables & against the elements of nature).

Spiritual doors are doors that only God can open or shut. He holds the key, and often times these doors represent some type of transition- a beginning or an end. The spiritual doors we pray for God to open up also come with a warning. Doors, where God is the doorkeeper, require the ability to recognize His voice so that we can be directed to the light and the right path. God is our doorkeeper for our own good and our own protection. It’s all about faith and trust when we don’t see open doors. (John 10:7-10) This leads us to another question. As believers, we stand in the gap for others & pray for God to open the doors for our family and friends. But if doors have a warning label attached to them, should we really be praying for an open door? Because doors that hold value behind them- doors protecting what is on the other side are locked up. They are closed. 

In Matthew 7:7 & 8 (NIV), Jesus tells us to ASK. SEEK and KNOCK. He gives us a divine disorder to that command, and I’ll explain that in a minute. Here’s what it says…

Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

The word ask is followed by seek, which is tailed by a knock. Each word adds a more dynamic, forceful, and vigorous approach to your prayer for God’s help. It’s actually a strategic method for praying. This verse offers three powerful strategies for prayer, which will undoubtedly boost your prayer life. But it’s an entirely different order from what we are used to. 

Typically, if you are headed to a friend’s house for the first time, you look up the address to put it in your GPS. In other words, you SEEK the physical location first. You get there, KNOCK on the door while mentally ASKING yourself, is this the right door? Is this where I am supposed to be? And you wait for the door to open. Right now, you might be thinking, that’s not such a big deal. However, this becomes a problem when we apply the same method to our prayers to God. We SEEK answers, miracles, breakthroughs, closure, etc. When we find ourselves in front of a door of opportunity, we KNOCK and knock and keep knocking as we ASK God, “Lord, is he the one for me? Is this the house for us? Is this the right job for me?”

But Jesus changes the order & says I want you to ASK first, then I want you to SEEK me & then I want you to KNOCK. Knock on the door I send you to; when I open it for you, it will be full of opportunities. There are things behind that door that He is storing up just for you. Think about this, if the door were open, then there wouldn’t be a need to knock, right? We want open doors, but NOT before we have knocked.  

“Ask, and it will be given to you.”

There’s a difference between a little ask and a big ask. A little ask is when all you need from God is a yes, no, maybe so, or when. 

But to finish your assignment right, we begin with the right questions and then end at the right door. What are the questions? “Lord, what would you have me do? What is my assignment? What would you have me say?” Asking means that you desire and you crave God’s insight. You are humbly dependent on him. James 1:5-6 says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” Only God will give you the answer that you need. But you have to ask the right questions. Be intentional. Write them down and ask Him to line up your heart with His.

“Seek, and you will find.”

So what exactly are we supposed to be seeking after we have asked? What do you seek? The Kingdom of God. How do you seek? Strategically. Strategically reading God’s word and strategically spending time with him. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Including answers. When you have the answer, that is the address to where your door is located, it might mean going to school and taking some seminary classes; learning a foreign language if it means going overseas; it might mean a financial peace class; parenting class; accepting a pay cut at a new job; trading in your car for something more affordable; breaking up with your boyfriend (ouch).

But this is where we get stuck. In the seek. The enemy has us stuck on seeking the doors, finding ourselves, our purpose, our calling, and our destiny, and seeking like lost puppies. Don’t seek the door. Seek the one who can unlock the door. Seek the one with the answers! 

“Knock, and the door will be open to you.”

It doesn’t say to try all the doors or only the blue door. He says, AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPEN. And you can only open a door that is closed. You can’t open a door that’s already open. I love God’s Word!

He says knock, and the door will be opened. He never says we have permission to walk away when it does not open. As believers, we look for open doors & if it’s not open, we walk away without even knocking, OR we see an open door & assume that’s it. Sometimes we second-guess ourselves because we realize there are multiple open doors. Knock on the door that He sends you to.

And the reason we Knock is because he is inviting you to that door. Knock because He is expecting you. Knock at the entrance to the address he gave you, and he will open the door for you. Knocking is not silent and is not singular. Knocking makes noise. How many times do you knock? What’s the right number of knocks? The answer: until the door opens. The difference is you can confidently knock, knowing He sent you there to knock, and you wait for His perfect timing. 

When you show up at the door God has for you, the other side of the door will need what you have to give. The whole world is looking at Christians right now, saying, you want an opportunity; what are you bringing with you? We are sent to the doors to bring something, not to take something. The key to an answered prayer is not only how you get to the door but what you do when you arrive at your door.  

Friend, prayer is the greatest strategy in the world, and as we use this weapon, God gives us his plan for life on earth. So go ahead, and ASK God for your door. Just make sure you are asking the right way!

Did this challenge you in any way? What are your thoughts? I’d love to know!