“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8
Our pastor has started a new series on prayer, and I think it will be a very good one. It got me thinking about a piece I had written some years ago about prayer being like asking for directions. It is based upon the verse above, Matthew 7:7-8. I began to think about what it’s like when we ask for directions.
The seeker humbly asks for help knowing that she/he is lost. Indeed, it takes quite a bit for me to ask for directions! Once I ask for those directions, I listen attentively, trying to figure out if I have the directions exactly right. After all, at this point I am hopelessly lost, and I need help!
Having received what I believe is proper guidance, I trust that it is a true direction. I need to trust the person who directed me since they presumably know the way, and I clearly do not. I then go on to seek my destination. If I have done a good job of following the directions, I arrive at the destination. But my job is not quite finished. I need to take a step of faith. I need to knock on the door.
I do the action step, knock on the door, and I am rewarded with the connection to the person or place that I intended to see.
So, the steps are: humility to recognize that I am indeed lost; trust that the direction giver is honest and competent; courage and faith to complete the task to the end.
This sounds to me like a formula for prayer- humility, trust, and courage/faith
Prayer: Lord, help me to have the humility, trust and faith that I need in prayer, Amen
Reflections of a Counselor 