Sermon on the Mount: Talking to the God Who Answers Prayer

Pastor Colby Rohde

July 12, 2026

In Matthew 7:7–12, Jesus brings the Sermon on the Mount toward its conclusion by returning to the subject of prayer. Earlier, near the center of the sermon, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray through the Lord’s Prayer. Now He gives three commands: ask, seek, and knock. These are not merely three different ways of saying the same thing. They describe the rhythm of a life being led by the Father.

To ask is to bring our needs before God in dependence. Children ask because they know they cannot provide everything for themselves. Jesus reminds us that prayer begins not with our need, but with God’s fatherhood. We are invited to bring specific, honest requests before Him.

To seek is to move beyond merely wanting answers and begin pursuing God Himself. Throughout Scripture, godly leaders such as David and Jehoshaphat sought the Lord before acting. Seeking requires attention, stillness, returning, listening, and allowing God’s voice to govern our lives. God may use seasons of waiting not to punish us, but to form us.

To knock is to trust God when we arrive at a threshold that only He can open. The Red Sea, the Jordan River, and David’s path to the throne all reveal moments when obedience brought God’s people as far as they could go. They could not force the door open. They had to trust God.

Jesus grounds all three commands in the character of the Father. Prayer is not powerful because of our eloquence, the length of our prayers, or our ability to use the right words. Prayer is powerful because the One who hears is both perfectly good and infinitely powerful.

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