FOR EXAMPLE
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
Matthew 26:39 (NIV)
Sometimes the best way to understand something is to look at an example of the concept in practice. Jesus has not only instructed us to ask, seek and knock, but He modeled it for us during His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus asked. After Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples and foretold of His betrayal, He took Peter, James and John with Him to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. The weight of the suffering, rejection and death He was about to endure felt like it alone could crush Him to death. With deep sorrow and a troubled soul, He fell to the ground and asked God to spare Him from taking the punishment our sins deserved on the cross. Jesus didn't hide His feelings or desires from God. He boldly asked His Father to do what only the Father could do.
Jesus sought. After Jesus laid His request before His Father, Jesus sought the Father's will over His own. Jesus didn't deny the fact that His humanity wanted God to provide another way to accomplish salvation. He wanted what He wanted. However, He ultimately desired the plan of the Father and the achievement of the redemptive mission for which He'd been sent.
Jesus knocked. Matthew 26:44 tells us that Jesus prayed this prayer three times. That's right, three times Jesus knocked on the door of the Father with His passionate plea.
The Father heard the heartfelt asking, seeking and knocking of His Son, yet His response remained to stay the course and endure the cross. Although Jesus didn't receive the removal He ached for, He did receive the will of the Father, and through His surrender, the rest of humanity received the greatest gift in the history of mankind: redemption from sin, victory over hell and death, and a restored relationship with the Living God.
It's this very sacrifice that grants us the privilege and confidence to come boldly into the presence of God to do our own asking, seeking and knocking.
APPLICATION: What about Jesus' asking, seeking, and knocking encourages you in your prayer life?
PRAYER: Jesus, thank You for not only teaching us how to pray but for showing us too. You are the best. Help me become more like You. Amen.
"… Our Father in heaven…" Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
• What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
"… may your name be kept holy." Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
• What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
"May your Kingdom come soon." Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
• Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
"Give us today the food we need," Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
• Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I'm around today?
"and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us" Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
• Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
"And don’t let us yield to temptation…" Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
• Is there anywhere I'm vulnerable to temptation?