“Ask, and you will be given what you ask for. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened” (Matt. 7:7, TLB).
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained to His disciples that prayer is a lifestyle, not just a group of moments in life. Jesus used a continuous tense for the three verbs here: “ask,” “seek” and “knock.” These verbs translate to “keep on asking,” “keep on seeking” and “keep on knocking.” These actions show us the different prayers we need in different situations in our lives.
“Keep on asking” refers to our needs, wants and wishes that reflect the Lord’s will in our lives. It is not pushing buttons to get what we want.
On a warm fall morning last year, I awoke to Pennsylvania’s beautiful rolling hills and mountains enshrouded in a thick fog. That day, the familiar landscape, just a hundred yards away, vanished in the mist. Similarly, as we enter 2021, the months before us are hidden in mystery. Its blessings, opportunities and dangers will only come into focus as time lifts the veil.
ith, a member of the Germantown church in Philadelphia, grew up reading Bible stories. “While I learned some good lessons from the stories, many of the stories focused on the men of the Bible,” remembers Keith. As an artist, she realized she had the ability to create images of the women in the Bible whom she envisioned. This year, Keith decided to produce the Women of the Bible 2021 calendar (pictured).