In this heartfelt message delivered by Pastor Eric Léveillé calls believers to renew their commitment to prayer. Drawing from Jesus’ familiar words in Matthew 7, he presents prayer not merely as a spiritual discipline but as a lifelong posture of dependence on a gracious heavenly Father. Through stories of faithful missionaries and clear exposition of Scripture, the sermon challenges every listener to move beyond occasional or habitual prayer into a vibrant, persistent communion with God.
Asking Admits Our Position
Jesus begins with a simple command: “Ask.” That single word reveals a profound truth about our relationship with God. To ask implies a difference in position. The one who asks stands in need, while the one being asked possesses the ability to meet that need.
In human terms, we see this clearly. The crowds asked Pilate to crucify Jesus because only he held the authority they lacked. The people of Tyre and Sidon sought peace from Herod because he occupied a higher position. Even within a family, a child asks a parent for bread or fish, acknowledging the parent’s role as provider.
So it is with us and God. When we ask Him, we humbly admit that He holds what we do not. We occupy a lower position, not out of degradation, but out of recognition that all good gifts come from the Father above. Prayer begins here, with a heart that gladly owns its proper place before an exalted God.
Asking Recognizes Our Poverty
To ask also means we lack what we seek. If we already possessed it, there would be no need to request it. Prayer, therefore, is the honest acknowledgement of our spiritual poverty.
Jesus rebuked the church in Laodicea for claiming, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing,” while in reality they were “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17, KJV). Many churches today fall into the same trap, measuring blessing by buildings, budgets, or attendance, yet forgetting their desperate need for God’s power, wisdom, and grace.
Missionaries like James Fraser in China and John Hyde in India discovered this truth deeply. They realised that opposition, fatigue, or slow results were not their greatest obstacles; their own insufficiency before God was. Hyde covenanted with others to pray for one soul each day, and when the burden grew heavy, he refused to lower the request. Instead, he prayed more, often spending entire nights confessing his helplessness and pleading for divine power.
Prayer is never the language of the self-sufficient. It is the cry of those who know they have nothing to offer God except empty hands.
Asking Develops Our Tenacity
In the original Greek, the command to “ask” is in the present imperative, meaning “keep on asking.” Jesus calls us not to a single request but to persistent, ongoing prayer.
We see this illustrated in the parable of the persistent widow who wore down an unjust judge with her continual pleas. Though God is nothing like that judge, Jesus teaches that His children should approach Him with the same unwavering determination.
Daniel prayed for understanding and, though the answer was dispatched the very first day, spiritual resistance delayed the messenger for three weeks. Daniel never stopped praying. In the spiritual realm, we wrestle against principalities and powers. The enemy seeks to destroy churches, families, testimonies, and lives. Only tenacious prayer pushes back the darkness.
Norwegian pastor Olle Hallesby likened persistent prayer to the patient drilling of mine shafts before the explosive charge is set. Many believers want only the excitement of “lighting the fuse,” but true breakthrough comes through the laborious, faithful preparation of continual asking. Mature believers learn to persevere even when answers seem delayed, trusting both God’s power and His perfect timing.
Asking Requires Precision
Jesus moves from asking to seeking and knocking, then illustrates with a child who specifically requests bread or fish. A good father would never substitute a stone or serpent. The specificity of the request highlights the father’s goodness when he grants exactly what is asked.
Vague prayers produce vague gratitude. When we pray generally, “Lord, bless my day,” we may never recognize His answer. But when we name particular needs, “Lord, help someone today see the difference Christ makes in me” or “Heal Reuben’s foot and grant good news soon”—we position ourselves to rejoice clearly when God responds.
No request is too small for God. As G. Campbell Morgan observed, everything we bring to Him is small in His sight; He has never been overwhelmed by a petition. Whether stranded in an airport or facing deep personal trial, specific prayers invite specific answers from a Father who delights to give good gifts to His children.
Prayer is far more than a technique for obtaining answers. It is a posture of life that admits our lowly position, embraces our poverty, perseveres with tenacity, and approaches God with thoughtful precision. In a world that grows increasingly hostile to the gospel, raising families, serving Christ, and advancing His kingdom will not become easier. Yet the throne of grace remains open. Believers, families, and churches must commit afresh to come boldly, persistently, and specifically before our heavenly Father.
May we each examine where we have grown weary in prayer or left needs unnamed. Let us bring them again to Him who hears from the first day we ask. As we keep on asking, dependence is restored, humility deepened, and trust renewed. Our gracious Father waits, ready to give good things to those who seek Him with their whole heart.
