# Is “Ask and you shall receive” in the Bible?

> Yes. “Ask and you shall receive” comes from the Bible, from Matthew 7:7.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/ask-and-you-shall-receive
By Andrew Kittridge · November 9, 2026

Jesus says it in the Sermon on the Mount, teaching about prayer.

## The verse

> Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
>
> — [Matthew 7:7](https://www.lumin.faith/read/matthew/7#7) (Lumin Translation)

The saying is not word for word. It shortens or reshapes the verse.

## What it means there

It is an invitation to pray the way a child asks a father (Matthew 7:9-11). It is not a promise that every request is granted: James says some ask and do not receive because they ask wrongly (James 4:3).

## Also in the Bible

> Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
>
> — [John 16:24](https://www.lumin.faith/read/john/16#24) (Lumin Translation)

> So I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
>
> — [Luke 11:9](https://www.lumin.faith/read/luke/11#9) (Lumin Translation)

## Common questions

### Is “Ask and you shall receive” in the Bible?

Yes. “Ask and you shall receive” comes from the Bible, from Matthew 7:7. The saying is not word for word. It shortens or reshapes the verse. Jesus says it in the Sermon on the Mount, teaching about prayer.

### Where in the Bible is “Ask and you shall receive”?

In Matthew 7:7, and also John 16:24 and Luke 11:9. In the Lumin Translation, Matthew 7:7 reads: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

### Who said “Ask and you shall receive”?

Jesus says it in the Sermon on the Mount, teaching about prayer.

### What does “Ask and you shall receive” mean in the Bible?

It is an invitation to pray the way a child asks a father (Matthew 7:9-11). It is not a promise that every request is granted: James says some ask and do not receive because they ask wrongly (James 4:3).

## More

- [Is “Can a leopard change its spots” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/can-a-leopard-change-its-spots.md)
- [Is “Faith can move mountains” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/faith-can-move-mountains.md)
- [Is “A fly in the ointment” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/a-fly-in-the-ointment.md)
- [Is “A house divided against itself cannot stand” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/a-house-divided-against-itself-cannot-stand.md)
- [Is “A labor of love” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/a-labor-of-love.md)
- [Is “Live by the sword, die by the sword” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/live-by-the-sword-die-by-the-sword.md)
- [Is “Man does not live by bread alone” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/man-does-not-live-by-bread-alone.md)
- [Is “Out of the mouths of babes” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/out-of-the-mouths-of-babes.md)
- [Check any word or a whole song](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-verse-checker)