Three Steps to an Answer

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Mat. 7:7-8

What makes a prayer really a prayer? The saying of it?; Or the hearing of it?; Or is it the answering of it? I believe, in these verses, Christ revealed three elements to real prayer. Each of these elements must be active for the prayer to reach fruition.

I. THE PRINCIPLE OF ASKING Ask, and it shall be given you...
The Greek word for "ask" is "aiteo" and it means to beg or to crave. This kind of asking is serious, humble and dependent. It is respectful and honoring to the one asked.
Jeremiah 33:3 says Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Psalm 2:8 says Ask of me, and I shall give thee... Psalm 145:18, The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

Prayer is not shopping for an answer, prayer is asking expectantly for an answer. Jesus taught us to ask, Give us this day our daily bread... The blind man called out to Jesus by the way, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. When Jesus asked him his need, he said, Lord, that I might receive my sight... Peter, when sinking beneath the waves, said Lord, save me.
One would think that this principle would be a simple one. But alas, ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2) The first great principle of answered prayer is to ask.

II. THE PRINCIPLE OF ABIDING “seek, and ye shall find”
The second great principle of answered prayer is to seek. This word, "zete", means to seek in order to find out by thinking, meditating, and reasoning; to inquire into. God continually calls on His people to seek Him in His fullness.

“But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mat. 6:33

“I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me.” Pro. 8:17

Jesus expounded on this condition of continual seeking in the Gospel of John. He called it "abiding."

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:4-7

We abide with Him wherever He is, all the time, and in whatever condition we find ourselves. This is the place where we find answers to our prayers!
The life and fruitfulness comes from the vine to the branches. Jesus says Without me ye can do nothing. We can be successful only by Christ dwelling and abiding in us.

III. THE PRINCIPLE OF ANTICIPATING
“..knock, and it shall be opened unto you..”; Our last principle deals with "knocking." It means to literally knock on a door. It is the same word, krouo, used in Revelation 3:20 when Jesus says Behold, I stand at the door and knock... To knock on a door is to anticipate an answer. We knock because we seek entry; we have a desire to have dealings with someone inside. There is a sense of expectation, or anticipating, in knocking. Simply, there is faith. Jesus commanded us to have faith in God. He constantly chided the disciples, How is it that you have no faith?

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 1 John 5:14-15

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14

Our heart's reply to those verses is "if only it were that easy." But it is that easy, if we have faith! Jesus said, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. But remember the order of the principles: ask, abide, and lastly, anticipate. Are you abiding in Him? Is your request pleasing unto Him? Are you sure you are asking "according to His will"? If so, then have faith in God!