Asking In Prayer

Κἀγὼ ὑμῖν λέγω· Αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν, ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὐρήσετε, κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν. Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει, καὶ ὁ ζητῶν εὐρίσκει , καὶ τῷ κρούοντι ἀνοιγήσεται. Τίνα δὲ ὑμῶν τὸν πατέρα αἰτήσει ὁ υἱὸς ἄρτον, μὴ λίθον ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; Ἡ καὶ ἰχθὺν, μὴ ἀντὶ ἰχθύος ὄφιν ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; Ἡ καὶ ἐὰν αἰτήσῃ ὠὸν, μὴ ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ σκορπίον; Εἰ οὖν ὑμεῖς πονηροὶ ὑπάρχοντες οἶδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ Πατὴρ ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ δώσει Πνεῦμα ἅγιον τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν; Ὅρα τὸ ἀκριβὲς τῆς λέξεως. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Αἰτήσασθε, καὶ δοθήσεται, ἀλλ᾽, Αἰτεῖτε, ἀντὶ τοῦ, διηνεκῶς ζητεῖτε . Πᾶς γὰρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει. Ἆρα οὖν ὁ ἀσύμφορα αἰτῶν λαμβάνει; Οὐχί πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἀσυμφόρων αἴτησις οὐδὲ αἴτησις ἂν κληθείη πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Ὁ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ προσευχόμενος, ὀφείλει αἰτεῖσθαι ἃ ἐκεῖνος δίδωσιν. Ὅταν δὲ τις τὰ ἀσύμφορα αἰτεῖται, οὐ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ποιεῖται τὴν αἴτησιν· οὗτος γὰρ ἀσύμφορα οὐ δίδωσιν. Ἔπειτα ἄκουε καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου, πῶς διδάσκει ἡμᾶς αἰτεῖσθαι ἃ δεῖ. ῎Ἄρτον γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ἰχθὺν καὶ ὠὸν αἰτεῖται. Ὥσπερ οὖν ταῦτα ἀνθρώπου ἐστὶ βρῶσις, οὕτω καὶ τὰ αἰτήματα ἡμῶν ὀφείλουσιν εἶναι συμφέροντα καὶ συμβαλλόμενα ἡμῖν. Νόει δέ μοι, ὅτι ἄρτον μὲν αἰτεῖται πᾶς ὁ τὴν εἰς Τριάδα πίστιν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν ὀρθότητα τῶν δογμάτων αἰτῶν· ἄρτος γὰρ ταῦτὰ εἰσιν ὡς στηρίζοντα καρδίαν. Ἰχθὺν δὲ αἰτεῖ ὁ ἐν τῷ πελάγει μὲν τοῦ βίου ὢν , ζητῶν δὲ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ συνέργειαν , ἵνα ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀκαταβάπτιστος, καὶ ζῶν ὥσπερ ἰχθὺς διαφυλαχθῇ. Ὠὸν δὲ αἰτεῖ ὁ τὰ γεννήματα τῶν ἐναρέτων ψυχῶν δοθῆναι αὐτῷ ζητῶν, αἴτινες δηλαδὴ ψυχαὶ ὄρνισιν ἂν εἰκότως παραβάλλοιντο πτέρυγας λαβοῦσαι , καὶ πνεύματι κουφισθεῖσαι, καὶ ὑπεραναπτᾶσαι τὴν γῆν. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λουκαν, Κεφαλὴ IA' Source: Migne PG 123.857c-859a

And I say to you, Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it shall be opened to you. Everyone who is asking receives, and he who is seeking finds, and it is opened to those who are knocking. Who among you if a son asked a father for bread, would give him a stone? And if he asked for a fish, instead of fish, he would give him a snake? And if he asked for an egg, he would give him a scorpion? If then you who are wicked know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? 1 Note carefully what is said. He does not say, You shall seek and it shall be given, but seek, that is, keep seeking. 'For everyone who is asking receives.' Is it then that he who is seeking what does not benefit, receives it? No. First one must not ask for harmful things from God in prayer. He who prays to God should seek what God may give. When someone asks for harmful things he does not pray to God, since God does not give such things. Hear how the Lord teaches us to ask for what is needful. He says that the son asks for bread and a fish and an egg. As, then, these thing are food for men, so our prayers should be of benefit to us. Understand here that he who seeks bread is he who has faith in the Trinity and asks for the rightness of the teaching to be revealed to him. This is the bread that strengthens the heart of a man. 1 And he asks for a fish who is in the sea of this life and seeks help from God, so that he does not drown in the midst of trials but lives, and is preserved like a fish. And he who asks for an egg, asks for the fruit of virtuous souls to be given to him. which is compared to the souls of birds, which are lifted up by their wings, and with the spirit they elevate themselves over all worldly things. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Luke, Chapter 11 1 Lk 11.9-13 2 Ps 103.15