I think this is a good question from CS Lewis and one I've often wondered about:
"Knock and it shall be opened.' But does knocking mean hammering and kicking the door like a maniac?"
C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed
The following verses say that God will give us "good things" if we ask him:
Matthew 7:7-11
7 Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10 Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
I imagine that we've all asked God for something that we regarded as good, as something that would benefit others as well as ourselves, such as peace or the removal of an addiction or something like that, but felt that we did not receive it. So what does this passage mean?
I have wondered myself about the keep on knocking etc. passage. There seems to be more than one way that I can look at it, and I’m not sure which way is right.
First of all, like myself, I feel many people have just asked once and then gotten some great, sometimes even miraculous, results. It also seems to me that if we ask right the first time, that is in humility and faith, then the Lord already heard us, and we don’t need to keep asking over and over.
To keep on asking could mean in general to keep on praying, as we were told to do so without ceasing. Or, seems to me, it could mean that if you didn’t ask with the right heart, if you asked amiss, try, try again until you get it right. Maybe even with fasting if you were very healthy.
Now I will address the word hammer used in the OP. In the word of the Lord we were told that his Word is a hammer that breaks the rock, I. E. barriers and problems in our lives.
When Messiah was in the desert he defeated the devil simply by speaking the Word.
Joshua was told that he was not to let the word depart from his mouth, so that he could have good success.
And some say the right translation is to mutter, not just to meditate. In Psalm 1 we are told we will prosper in all they do if we meditate/mutter on the Word day and night.
I think those Bible verses are much neglected. I think, personally, for my own experiences in prayer and with rhemas, that our heavenly father literally wants us to be speaking the word day and night as much as practical.
I personally have an alpha list of Bible verses to go through. Like A is for angels watching over us snd for all authority been given to Messiah, and B is for things like being bold in prayer and so on.
there are many scripture only Bible promises videos on YouTube which I also like to speak along with. And then there are scripture only songs, from places like Integrity music, sons of Korah, JumpStart 3 and so on, which I sing along with daily here and there.
Singing is a form of spiritual warfare. For example David sang and played the harp and evil spirits were released that were bothering king Saul. When overwhelming armies were advancing against Israel, King Jehoshaphat had the priest to go before the armies singing praises. Consequently the armies turned on one another and everyone was killed, and furthermore there were three days of booty for the Israelites.
Paul and Silas were singing praise songs when they had the miraculous release from prison.
There is incredible power in speaking and singing the word, and I think we all need to hook into that power, especially in these last days.