Explanation: Jesus twice gave "The Lord's Prayer" as a model prayer (Matthew 6:1-15; Luke 11:1-4), once during his ministry in Perea (this occasion recorded in Luke), and once on an earlier occasion in Galilee during the Sermon on the Mount (recorded in Matthew). In this instance, he added an exhortation to be patiently persistent in prayer - - to ask, to seek, and to knock. The Greek reads "keep on asking," "keep on seeking," and "keep on knocking." The reason he gave was that God is favorable to us and knows how to give us good gifts. In terms of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer this encouragement is comprehensive - - we can ask for and receive an ability to advance the Kingdom of God of which we are a part, get our daily needs, be forgiven and forgive, and be delivered from temptation.

^{Luke 11:1-13      1} And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. ² And he said unto them, When you pray, say, Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. ³ Give us day by day our daily bread. ⁴ And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. ⁵ And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; ⁶ For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? ⁷ And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give you. ⁸ I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needs. ⁹ And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. ¹⁰ For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. ¹¹ If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? ¹² Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

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