So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
(Luke 11:9 NIV)
Ask. Seek. Knock. These verbs in the original text mean “keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking.” Persistence is one of the major keys to answered prayers. How often do we become discouraged when our prayers are not answered right away? God answers our prayers in three ways: yes, no, or maybe. Sometimes, we misinterpret “maybe” to mean “no.” Maybe could mean “yes, but not right now.”
“ ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’ ”(Isaiah 55:8-9). Trust there are reasons God might delay answering your prayer. Never give up or lose hope. Keep on asking. Keep on seeking. Keep on knocking. Eliminate impatience by recognizing that God’s timing is best for you, not your timing. Trust that He will bring about His perfect will in His perfect time. No plan of God’s can be thwarted.