Ask, seek, knock—three verbs growing in intensity. To ask is to speak; to seek involves action; to knock is persistent, refusing to give up. Do you abandon prayer when God doesn't answer immediately? Jesus calls us to persist. In the very next verse (7:8), He reassures us: "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." This doesn't mean everything you want comes true. God, being good, sometimes answers with something better than we asked for (7:11). Trust His goodness.