What great promises are contained in these verses!  The prospect of every prayer being answered should surely encourage us to talk to Father God more often and with increased expectation.  These words of Jesus ring with the finality of completion.  Indeed, Jesus said that God knows what we need even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), and Isaiah 65:24 says that God answers even before we call.  But that is not everybody's experience, so what have we not understood?  

Firstly, this promise is in the context of the Lord's Prayer where the honour of God, and His will, come before personal requests (Luke 11:1-4). In other words, God responds to the prayers of those who want His glory to be the highest outcome of their relationship with Him.  Prayer is not an enquiry into a divine ‘search engine’ which always comes up with the right answer.  Prayer is a part of our relationship with God; it is our trust in our Father’s character (His kindness, mercy and grace) which gives us the confidence to ask.  

Secondly, the instruction is given in a present-continuous tense: hence, 'keep on asking', 'persist in seeking' and 'continue to knock'.  Faithful prayer will not give up before the answer arrives, because those who trust the Lord and honour Him will also respect His right to act in His own good time.  Willingness to wait is a true mark of confidence in any relationship and especially so with God (Psalm 130:5-6).  The answer will come, but Jesus does not guarantee when.  Thirdly, Jesus is not only promising this to the disciples, but to everybody, including us today.

It should be wonderfully reassuring to know that God will hear and answer prayer.  But this is not a recipe for just getting what we want: the Lord's desire is for us to grow in relationship with Him so that He can give us what will glorify Him, as well as meet our needs and answer our concerns.  So, as in the Lord's Prayer, honour Him more than anything you are praying for; then be bold to ask and persistent to keep on asking.  Remember that the Lord will only do what is right at the right time, and His answers can be ‘No’ or ‘Wait’ as well as ‘Yes’.