Luke 11:9–10: “And I say to you, 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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

February 22nd, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

These familiar verses teach us that we need to persist in prayer—asking, seeking, and knocking. Over time, as we learn this, we find ourselves sorting through the things that are truly important to us. Then, as we ask for those things, the second part of these verses begins to take place in our hearts. We hear God speaking back to us about our requests.

Many years ago, Ruth Graham, the wife of the famous evangelist, spoke about how during the years of her single life, she asked God 5 times, for 5 different guys to be her husband. Each time, she pleaded that God would let a certain guy be “the one.” But God didn’t let her have any of those 5 young men; and she said she was so thankful for that because He was saving her for a young guy down in North Carolina. We can look at her story in hindsight and say of course God was answering her prayer, and though it took some time, it was worth the wait. But from her perspective, in the midst of waiting, it must have felt like it was taking forever. Does it seem like your request is taking forever? God is setting things up for you, just keep trusting and praying.

For Graham, every time she prayed, God was answering her prayer; and all 5 times the answer was, “No.” God wasn’t refusing to bring her a mate, just the opposite. The husband God wanted for her wasn’t ready yet for marriage. God had someone better in mind for her all the time. May we never find ourselves praying, “My will be done, God.” That is a dangerous prayer, and we would not like the answer. Instead we must continue to pray, “God, Your will be done.”

“LORD, please make Your will done in our lives this day.”