Prayer and the Great “If . . . Then” Promise of Jesus – Part 1: The Game-Changing Prayer
In John 15 Jesus gives us an amazing insight into the power of prayer – power so great that we can literally “ask whatever you wish” and it will be given to us. Sounds kind of like ‘Aladdin’s lamp. Not quite. In fact, not at all, because this promise comes with two conditions – “If you remain in Me and my words remain in you”. Here is the Scripture:
“If you remain in Me and My words (rhema) remain in you, (then) ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples” (John 15: 7, 8 NIV).
Before I dig into this passage, I want to remind you that Jesus makes this promise or promises similar to this one in other verses of Scripture, especially in the Gospel of John. See John 14: 13; 14: 14; 15: 16; 16: 23, 24. This last one is good:
“I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name. Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask (and “keep on asking” in the Greek) and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16: 23, 24 NIV).
“Ask and you will receive” is similar to promises Jesus made in His Sermon on the Mount:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened” (Matthew 7: 7, 8 NIV).
John picks up this theme in his first letter:
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know we have what we asked of Him” (1 John 14, 15 NIV).
All of these verses refer to prayer. Prayer is a conversation with God. But unlike a simple conversation between me and a friend, prayer can have life-changing, future-altering outcomes.
Some will say, “Ok. But you have taken all of these verses out of context”. That is true, and in the next several posts I will provide the context for the first verse quoted above. But, consider this. Put “Whatever you ask in My name, you will receive it” in any context and it is still a powerful promise for those who are ‘in Christ’, asking in “His name”. If Jesus says something one time, it is important. What about when He says essentially the same thing 7 times? Especially when He begins the sentence with the words, “I tell you the truth . . . “?
I have struggled myself with Jesus’ promise. But I wonder – have we fallen so far away from the Holy Spirit and the power of God that we can no longer believe in and understand what power followers of Jesus have to change the world?
Before I unpack Jesus’ words in John 15, I think it is important to provide a major caveat here. Jesus says, “Ask whatever you wish”. Does that really mean ‘whatever, anything, no restrictions’ – like Aladdin’s lamp I mentioned above”. Nope, sorry. Because this passage has a clarification in the next sentence:
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15: 8).
This promise is about bringing glory to the Father, bearing fruit, and demonstrating to the world what it looks like to be a disciple. Still, it is a pretty audacious promise – there are many ways to glorify God and at the same time, benefit Jesus’ followers. In general, I believe you can ask for anything that:
Draws you deeper into the heart of God; binds you to His heart, mind, and will
Helps you become more like Jesus; loving God and people
Brings joy and peace to God’s people, especially when we confess and repent
Releases and advances the Kingdom of God
Accomplishes His purposes and reveals His glory
What can I pray for? I can pray for physical and emotional healing, spiritual deliverance, healing broken relationships, true repentance, spiritual deliverance, financial provision, souls to be saved; more joy, peace, and hope for me, my family, and the world; a baby, revival and reformation; more love, especially for my enemies (and myself); a husband or wife, truth and justice; victory today in the “struggle against powers and principalities of this dark world”; a fair election; even (if it brings God glory) a new car, house, or bicycle.
A prayer prayed ‘in Christ’ can reach out and assail the kingdom of satan.
John provided the key to all of these prayers, “If we ask anything according to His will”. That one phrase takes us deep into the profound mystery of prayer (see ‘Dynamics of Prayer’, Part 5 of this series). When we “remain in His will and His words remain in us” we are in harmony with God. When we pray for anything, we are speaking or giving words to His purposes and plans.
This promise is not like a reward for good behavior or a stronger faith. Instead, it is the natural manifestation, outflow, or consequence of our life ‘in Christ’. Answered prayers that advance the Kingdom of God, point to Jesus, and bring God glory (and also bless us as well) are part of the fruit that Jesus describes in John 15. Often, these prayers release signs, wonders, and miracles around us.
These prayers are faith-building, God-glorifying, world-changing, miracle-producing, Kingdom-advancing prayers. Why would anyone want to follow Christ? These prayers are part of the answer to that question. But this begs other questions. Are we, the Church of Jesus Christ, still capable of praying like this? Can we do what Jesus calls us and tells us we can/should do? Are our churches teaching us to pray this way? If not, why not?
In Part 2 of ‘Prayer and the “If . . . Then” Promise of Jesus’ I look at the meaning of, “Remain in Me”.
John