Have You Ever Had One of Those Weeks?

Have you ever had one of those weeks when you just feel melancholy and you can’t figure out why? That’s the kind of week I’m having. Every day I have had this cloud of sadness hanging over me; it’s even brought me to tears several times. I know there are several situations in my life right now that are causing me stress—prayers that have gone unanswered for a long time, to the point where I’ve told God that I just can’t deal with this anymore. But every day God has given me some type of encouragement to help me know He is listening, He does care, and He is working.

Last night as I was driving home, I turned on the local Christian radio station and heard the last part of a sermon by Adrian Rogers. He was speaking on Matthew 7:7–8 (either that or Luke 11:9–10) in which Jesus states:

Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks find, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Dr. Rogers talked about how all the verbs used in this passage are in the present imperative, so we need to persevere and keep asking, seeking and knocking. He said asking is “desire expressed,” seeking is “direction explored,” and knocking is “determination exerted.” If we don’t get what we ask for in prayer, then we need to seek God’s help to determine if what we are asking for needs to change—or if we need to change. And then, we need to keep on knocking and be fervent in our prayers to God.

The “knocking” part is what I really needed to hear. In a world that thrives on instant gratification—and being a person who is inherently impatient—this is a very difficult aspect of prayer for me. But I must remember the second verse in the passage which indicates completion. If we do these things when we pray—ask, seek, and knock—then we will receive, find, and it will be opened. Although it will be according to God’s timetable, it will be done! So even in my sadness, I continue knocking and praising God who is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.