Three Levels Of Prayer

We read in Matthew's Gospel in chapter 7, beginning in verse 7, Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Here, friends, we see Jesus speaking of the three levels of prayer. The first level of prayer is the simplest and requires the least amount of effort. To ask, a child can ask.

We see more of this in verse 9. Of what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, he will give him a stone? So we see asking in prayer is easy, and it requires the least effort. You just have to have a need. Secondly, the next level of prayer actually requires some effort.

Seek, and ye shall find. This is clearly seen in Jesus' parable in Luke's Gospel of the woman and the lost coin. She loses one of her silver coins.

Indiligently, she searches her whole house until she finds it. Then she calls her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her over finding the lost coin. The text in Luke reads, What woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? So this second level of prayer requires some effort.

Notice, he who does the seeking does the finding. But the third level of prayer is different, friends. It speaks of knocking at a door that is closed to us.

We cannot open it. We don't have the power to open it. We have not the key to open it.

It has to be opened by another on the other side. For instance, if we've been praying for revival, revival is something we cannot produce on our own. It is a sovereign act of God.

God sends revival. But we can knock at the door of heaven, so to speak, until God opens that door to send revival blessings. This is the third level praying, and it's best illustrated by Jesus's parable of the friend who comes at midnight seeking a loaf of bread.

The man in the house says his family's in bed. He can't get up to let them in. It's after midnight, but the persistent visitor keeps knocking.

As we read, I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, this third level prayer speaks of importunity in prayer, never giving up until the answer is gained. Keep on knocking. Keep on knocking in prayer, so to speak, until God answers.

It's our dedication and perseverance in prayer. And it's interesting to note, friends, that Jesus gives this illustration of prayer to his disciples after they particularly ask him how to pray. We read in Luke 11, beginning in verse 1, And it came to pass that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray.

This is our example, friends, to ask God to teach us how to become better prayers for him, to pray better to him. We read in Luke 12, 9 and 10, And I say unto you, ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find.

Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. So this next level praying, as seen from Matthew in Luke's gospel, should help us to better understand how to approach God in prayer. Well, friends, I hope this little devotional on prayer has been of some help to you as we ask the Lord to teach us better how to pray, how to pray more effectively, that his Holy Spirit will guide us, strengthen us, and give us a vital life of prayer with him.

Let us pray.