A powerful story of prayer, persistence, and divine timing inspired by Matthew 7:7–8 — “Ask, seek, knock.” For years, Hannah dreamed of serving in the Christian film industry, but doors remained closed—until one act of obedience changed everything. This devotional reminds us that sometimes faith means waiting, but other times, it means having the courage to knock and trust that God is already working behind the scenes.

Highlights


God invites us to bring our bold prayers and desires before Him (Matthew 7:7–8).


Dreams placed in your heart often serve a divine purpose, even when they seem delayed.


Faith sometimes looks like stillness, and other times, like courageously knocking on a closed door.


God’s timing is always perfect—He arranges opportunities long before we recognize them.


Don’t let fear keep you from stepping toward what God has already prepared.

Join the Conversation

Have you ever hesitated to “knock” on a door God might be calling you toward? Share your story of faith, persistence, or answered prayer in the comments. Tag @LifeAudioNetwork and use #AskSeekKnock #FaithInAction #DailyPrayer to join the conversation.

🎙🎶 SUBSCRIBE to our NEW SHOW — Your Nightly Prayer

🌟 Check out other Crosswalk Podcasts:Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

Full Transcript Below:

When You Wonder If You Should Knock

By Hannah Benson

Bible Reading:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock, and it will be given to you. For everyone who asks receives and the one who seeks finds, to the one who knocks it will be opened.” - Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

Since I was 10 years old, I deeply desired to be involved in the Christian film industry. This flame burned within me, ignited by movies like FACING THE GIANTS, FIREPROOF, and in more recent years, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE and JESUS REVOLUTION.

If you’ve seen any of these or other movies that have tugged at your heart, then you know what I’m talking about. As a young child, movies that gripped me emotionally and glorified God in the process never left my mind. I devoured these films and coaxed my family to watch behind-the-scenes content with me. I loved seeing what went into the process of making a film.

What would it be like to be part of something like that someday?

Before I was even a teenager, I’d filled pages in my prayer journal, asking God to allow me to be involved in the Christian film industry. I thought it was impossible, but I prayed for God to open the door someday.

Eventually, I stopped praying those prayers as often. The hope of serving God in film ministry hadn’t fully died, but I laid it to rest and pursued what God called me to in that season, which included serving in a Biblical drama ministry and writing.

Fast forward to the summer of 2024.

This burning desire to serve in the Christian film industry had only intensified, and I didn’t know what to do with it except continually take it to Jesus and lay it at His feet.

I wrote in my prayer journal: “God, if you want me in the film industry, you’re going to have to push me in there.”

Bold prayer, perhaps.

But then again, nothing is too bold for God.

What I didn’t realize was how God was working behind the scenes, putting all the details in place.

I’d had a longtime mentor whom I’d kept in touch with over the past several years. (He’d originally introduced me to the book that inspired my fiction novel that I’m now seeking representation for). As God would have it, he was also a screenwriter and film producer who moved back into my area and started co-producing a feature film with both his film partner and 3 of my good friends.

Should I ask him if there are mentorship opportunities in film?

Fear initially held me back.

What if now wasn’t the right time? Why would I do something crazy like that?

One September afternoon, I sat on my parents’ porch, overlooking the grassy fields and rocking gently back and forth.

“What do you want me to do, God?” I whispered.

There was no audible whisper in response. Instead, God impressed on my heart a vision of me standing in front of a closed door. He reminded me of the verse in Matthew 7:7-8 where it says: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock, and it will be given to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

In that moment, I knew I needed to knock.

My parents also encouraged me to reach out and ask, confirming what I knew in my heart.

After all, what did I have to lose?

Now, less than a year later, I choke up when I think of how close I came to never knocking.

Honestly, I never could have foreseen the doors that would open simply from that one “knock”. But God did.

I never could have imagined all the people I’ve gotten to meet and work with.

One simple “knock” turned into so many doors opened, including a remote work-from-home job at a digital marketing company on the other side of the country that I would’ve never found—and would’ve never found me—had it not been for God’s hand orchestrating every detail.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

How many times do we wait for God to make the first move? Yes, absolutely, there is a time to be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Sometimes, there is nothing we can (or should) do to try to change our circumstances. As the Lord said in Psalm 46:10 (ESV) “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

But sometimes He puts before us a closed door, and He calls us to knock.

Sometimes, He calls us to be like the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), to keep praying and to walk through doors God has opened for us. Sometimes, like in my own story, it wasn’t a clear open door. It was a closed door that God called me to knock on.

I knew it was a possibility that the door may never open.

But I also knew I didn’t want to let fear hold me back from knocking on a door that God wanted to open for me if only I’d been brave enough to ask.

Consider where God has you right now. Is He calling you to be still, trust in His sovereign plan, or to knock on a door He might want to open for you?

Pray with me:

Dear Father, sometimes, I struggle to know exactly what You want me to do. Please give me discernment to know what You want me to do and to trust that it’s enough to just be still and soak in Your presence if that is the only thing You are calling me to in this season. After all, that’s what’s most important. Please show me if there is a closed door You want me to knock on and to be like the persistent widow. To not stop praying for Your will to be done and Your kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

A powerful story of prayer, persistence, and divine timing inspired by Matthew 7:7&ndash;8 &mdash; &ldquo;Ask, seek, knock.&rdquo; For years, Hannah dreamed of serving in the Christian film industry, but doors remained closed&mdash;until one act of obedience changed everything. This devotional reminds us that sometimes faith means waiting, but other times, it means having the courage to knock and trust that God is already working behind the scenes.
Highlights
<ul data-start="523" data-end="974">
<li data-start="523" data-end="607">
God invites us to bring our bold prayers and desires before Him (Matthew 7:7&ndash;8).
</li>
<li data-start="608" data-end="698">
Dreams placed in your heart often serve a divine purpose, even when they seem delayed.
</li>
<li data-start="699" data-end="802">
Faith sometimes looks like stillness, and other times, like courageously knocking on a closed door.
</li>
<li data-start="803" data-end="894">
God&rsquo;s timing is always perfect&mdash;He arranges opportunities long before we recognize them.
</li>
<li data-start="895" data-end="974">
Don&rsquo;t let fear keep you from stepping toward what God has already prepared.
</li>
</ul>
Join the Conversation
Have you ever hesitated to &ldquo;knock&rdquo; on a door God might be calling you toward? Share your story of faith, persistence, or answered prayer in the comments. Tag @LifeAudioNetwork and use #AskSeekKnock #FaithInAction #DailyPrayer to join the conversation.
🎙🎶&nbsp;SUBSCRIBE to our NEW SHOW &mdash; <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/">Your Nightly Prayer</a>
🌟 Check out other Crosswalk Podcasts: <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews</a>
<hr>
Full Transcript Below:
When You Wonder If You Should Knock
By Hannah Benson
Bible Reading:
&ldquo;Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock, and it will be given to you. For everyone who asks receives and the one who seeks finds, to the one who knocks it will be opened.&rdquo; - Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)
Since I was 10 years old, I deeply desired to be involved in the Christian film industry. This flame burned within me, ignited by movies like FACING THE GIANTS, FIREPROOF, and in more recent years, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE and JESUS REVOLUTION.
If you&rsquo;ve seen any of these or other movies that have tugged at your heart, then you know what I&rsquo;m talking about. As a young child, movies that gripped me emotionally and glorified God in the process never left my mind. I devoured these films and coaxed my family to watch behind-the-scenes content with me. I loved seeing what went into the process of making a film.
What would it be like to be part of something like that someday?
Before I was even a teenager, I&rsquo;d filled pages in my prayer journal, asking God to allow me to be involved in the Christian film industry. I thought it was impossible, but I prayed for God to open the door someday.
Eventually, I stopped praying those prayers as often. The hope of serving God in film ministry hadn&rsquo;t fully died, but I laid it to rest and pursued what God called me to in that season, which included serving in a Biblical drama ministry and writing.
Fast forward to the summer of 2024.
This burning desire to serve in the Christian film industry had only intensified, and I didn&rsquo;t know what to do with it except continually take it to Jesus and lay it at His feet.
I wrote in my prayer journal: &ldquo;God, if you want me in the film industry, you&rsquo;re going to have to push me in there.&rdquo;
Bold prayer, perhaps.
But then again, nothing is too bold for God.
What I didn&rsquo;t realize was how God was working behind the scenes, putting all the details in place.
I&rsquo;d had a longtime mentor whom I&rsquo;d kept in touch with over the past several years. (He&rsquo;d originally introduced me to the book that inspired my fiction novel that I&rsquo;m now seeking representation for). As God would have it, he was also a screenwriter and film producer who moved back into my area and started co-producing a feature film with both his film partner and 3 of my good friends.
Should I ask him if there are mentorship opportunities in film?
Fear initially held me back.
What if now wasn&rsquo;t the right time? Why would I do something crazy like that?
One September afternoon, I sat on my parents&rsquo; porch, overlooking the grassy fields and rocking gently back and forth.
&ldquo;What do you want me to do, God?&rdquo; I whispered.
There was no audible whisper in response. Instead, God impressed on my heart a vision of me standing in front of a closed door. He reminded me of the verse in Matthew 7:7-8 where it says: &ldquo;Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock, and it will be given to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, to the one who knocks it will be opened.&rdquo;
In that moment, I knew I needed to knock.
My parents also encouraged me to reach out and ask, confirming what I knew in my heart.
After all, what did I have to lose?
Now, less than a year later, I choke up when I think of how close I came to never knocking.
Honestly, I never could have foreseen the doors that would open simply from that one &ldquo;knock&rdquo;. But God did.
I never could have imagined all the people I&rsquo;ve gotten to meet and work with.
One simple &ldquo;knock&rdquo; turned into so many doors opened, including a remote work-from-home job at a digital marketing company on the other side of the country that I would&rsquo;ve never found&mdash;and would&rsquo;ve never found me&mdash;had it not been for God&rsquo;s hand orchestrating every detail.
Intersecting Faith &amp; Life:
How many times do we wait for God to make the first move? Yes, absolutely, there is a time to be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Sometimes, there is nothing we can (or should) do to try to change our circumstances. As the Lord said in Psalm 46:10 (ESV) &ldquo;Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!&rdquo;
But sometimes He puts before us a closed door, and He calls us to knock.
Sometimes, He calls us to be like the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), to keep praying and to walk through doors God has opened for us. Sometimes, like in my own story, it wasn&rsquo;t a clear open door. It was a closed door that God called me to knock on.
I knew it was a possibility that the door may never open.
But I also knew I didn&rsquo;t want to let fear hold me back from knocking on a door that God wanted to open for me if only I&rsquo;d been brave enough to ask.
Consider where God has you right now. Is He calling you to be still, trust in His sovereign plan, or to knock on a door He might want to open for you?
Pray with me:
Dear Father, sometimes, I struggle to know exactly what You want me to do. Please give me discernment to know what You want me to do and to trust that it&rsquo;s enough to just be still and soak in Your presence if that is the only thing You are calling me to in this season. After all, that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s most important. Please show me if there is a closed door You want me to knock on and to be like the persistent widow. To not stop praying for Your will to be done and Your kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus&rsquo;s Name, Amen.

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.

Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:

☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It)
☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment
☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life
☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church
☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer
☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation
☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year

If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.
Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:
☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It) ☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment ☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life ☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life ☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church ☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer ☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation ☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year
If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/">https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.</a>

7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life.

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