What does Jesus mean when he says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you?” When we look carefully at where and when he says these words, it becomes clear that he’s not giving us a blank check to pursue whatever it is our heart’s desire. God is many things, but a genie in a bottle isn’t one of them. Instead, Jesus is offering us a helpful way of approaching God with our requests. But prayer is more than just asking. It’s also about listening to God and discerning what we truly need, and then practicing consistent, radical dependence on the Father whose extravagant, generous love is just waiting to meet us in our place of need.