Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Matthew 7- 8 offers a powerful transition from Jesus’ teaching on the mountainside to His God-given authority revealed through His miracles. These two chapters emphasize a couple of key themes: the foundation of faith and the power of Christ in our lives, each highlighting the life-changing truth that faith in Christ and Christ in us transforms our lives from the inside, out. 

Some of my favorite passages are found in these chapters: Two Foundations (7:24-27), A Man Cleansed and The Centurion’s Faith (8: 1-13), and The Wind and Waves Obey (8:23-27). Today, I’d like to share some honest thoughts on prayer from Matthew 7: 7-13 under the heading, “Ask, Search, Knock.” You can find an expanded version just after Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer in Luke 11 (vs 5-13). These are things I knew in my head; I just needed to remind my heart. 

Earlier this year after reading in Luke, I wrote in my journal; “It’s occurred to me that the cause of some of my anxiety/ hesitance/ sense of failure in prayer is my worry over keeping the order…that God may perceive me as rude or ungrateful if I come to Him with ‘HELP!’ before adoration or confession or thanksgiving when sometimes the most honest first words I have are ‘God, HELP!’ and not ‘Hey, thanks!’. Still, I feel pressure to complete the appropriate order before asking for help and feel guilty when I don’t. But order feels more formal than familial for a conversation with my Father.” 

While the order in prayer — coming to God in praise, confession, and thanksgiving before “supplication” (genuine, earnest request) orients and brings perspective, the order is not the point! At times, I’ve placed too great an emphasis on keeping the particular rule (order) of prayer taught by Jesus and not enough on the One who taught it. Praying correctly (similar to keeping the Law) doesn’t get God to accept or answer our prayers. The whole point of prayer is the experience of deep connection with our Father through authentic conversation. The posture of my heart is much more important to Him than the order of my actual prayers. 

The cleansed man and the Centurion both came to Jesus with faith and earnest request alone. We never inconvenience God. We never have to doubt His desire to hear us and to meet us where we are. He is our Father! Just as a loving parent would never require their child to go through a series of steps to get their attention before asking for help, neither would God.   

So, ask, search, knock! Be persistent children before your Father in Heaven. Like the men in Chapter 8, our requests for help echo our faith in the One from whom our help comes, and His care for us through hard things leads us to a place of adoration and thanksgiving for His presence and comfort in our lives. 

It’s okay that our prayers flow like, “Help! Thanks! Wow!” (Ann Lamott) as often as they resemble the steps that guide us in the acronyms A.C.T.S. or P.R.A.Y.  The whole point is that we stay connected with our Father (1 Thes. 5:16-18 / Phil. 4:6-7), consistently bringing every little thing in our hearts to Him because He loves us and desires to be with us throughout each day of our entire lives. 

Prayer: Father, HELP! We need Your presence in our lives. We are desperate for You! We are so prone to reduce our faith to a series of rules or steps for earning Your love or bending Your ear! But we know faith does not come from our own efforts. It comes from abiding with Christ, who lives within us. Teach us to use the incredible tools in Your word but rely completely on the power of Christ in us to live a life that reflects the transformation of our hearts. Protect us from making even good things the main thing when You are Everything. 

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.
  

The Way of Jesus: 7 Marks of Discipleship

As we begin a new series, we encourage you to lean into the 7 Marks of Discipleship each week. The 7 Marks of Discipleship provide a simple tool to help us identify areas where we are thriving in our calling and where we can grow. Check here each week for a new 7 Marks Challenge that will encourage you to follow Jesus closer every day.