In this verse, humility meets ingenuity and determination to create a winning formula for prayer. Asking takes great humility because when we ask, we are admitting that we need help. It is a confession that without God, our lives are incomplete and that we are incapable of managing on our own. The prideful will never be able to take a knee and ask God for anything. They will do it on their own, even if it kills them.

But humility, as good a virtue as it is, is not enough. Jesus didn't say, ask and then sit around doing nothing, instead, He instructs us to "seek." When I was a college student, I went to nursing homes twice a week to preach and visit with the residents. As is often the case, those I attempted to minister to also ministered to me. At the end of my visits, I'd always have a brief word of prayer with the residents. One lady always said the same words at the end of my prayer, she'd say, "Remember young man, you've got to put feet to your prayers." To this day I remember. Jesus didn't just tell us to ask, He also said to seek.

But ingenuity, as important as it is, isn't enough. Jesus also tells us to "knock." We begin by asking for God's help, then we put "feet to our prayers" seeking for answers, and when we think we know God's will, we knock on opportunity's door. Prayer is never static. It isn't a matter of quietly asking for something and believing that an answer will fall like manna out of heaven. Often times, God makes us the answer to our own prayers. He will point us to the door, but we will have to knock on it.
 

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