As the Year Ends: Boldly Seek, Ask, and Knock | Short Sermon Series

As we approach the end of the year, many of us may find ourselves reflecting on prayers we’ve lifted up over the past months. How many of us have persisted in prayer? If we’re honest, it’s easy to feel discouraged when prayers aren’t answered immediately. By the third or fourth time of asking, we might begin to give up, thinking this is just another situation that God is being cryptic about, so why keep praying?

If that’s you, would you let the words of Matthew 7:7 stir your heart afresh as the year draws to a close:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Jesus encourages us to approach God with boldness and persistence. He reminds us that God is not indifferent to our needs, and that He is a loving Father who desires to bless His children. Even at this late stage in the year, God’s timing is still perfect.

Not all prayers can be answered immediately or obviously, but in His time and in His ways, God will make the answer clear to us. As we look back on this year, we might recognize that God’s response was different from what we expected or that the answer is still unfolding. But be encouraged—our prayers never fall on deaf ears. God hears every word we speak, every petition we raise.

Even when the answer seems delayed, God is working in ways we can’t always see. Persistence in prayer shapes our faith, molds our hearts, and keeps us aligned with His will. It prepares us for the next chapter, the new year, where God’s faithfulness will continue to guide us.

So, as we end the year, take heart. Continue to pray, for God’s promises are true. The answers will come — perhaps not in the timing or the way we expect, but always in the way that is best for us. Keep asking, seeking, and knocking, knowing that God is faithful, and His plans for you are good.

As we turn the page to a new year, may we do so with faith, trusting that the God who listened to every prayer this year is the same God who will lead us into the next with His perfect wisdom and love.

May the lovely designs by @saltpepperhumans encourage us that no prayers are left unheard by our God♥️

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