Devotional 20/10/16 – John 16:23-24 “Whatever you ask in my name”

Jesus makes a massive promise, that we will receive anything that we ask in His name! Let this invitation inspire and excite your faith to pray. 

 To meditate/pray upon

John 16:23-24 "In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete".

Matthew 6:9-13. “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

 ‘In that day’ – after Jesus has ascended to heaven, they will no longer have the physical Jesus to ask of. Prayer will be directed to the Father by virtue of the work of Christ on the cross. Only Jesus’ blood can restore a relationship with the Father and grant us confident access to our heavenly Father in prayer.

Jesus promises, “My Father will give you whatever you ask in my name”. Does this mean that we will always get everything that we want? Clearly this cannot be the case. Both experience and the bible teach us that this is not the case,

‘When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures’. (James 4:3)

The idea of asking in someone’s name means that we are asking for what that person would want and for their purposes and honour.

Jesus promises that we will always get what we ask for when what we ask for is for Him, His purposes, His glory, according to His will.

How do we know what is God’s will so as to pray for it? The bible is the only complete and unerring revelation of God’s will, so it’s vital to pray out of what we read in the bible.

Secondly, we may have inner promptings or prophetic words that we use to direct our praying.

Make it a practice to pause and pray whilst reading the bible. Let’s also ask for God to speak to us, and expect this to happen, so as to direct our prayers.

This is amazing! Jesus invites you to, “not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete’”.

Joy is linked to prayer. A praying person is a joyful person! Prayer is about living in relationship with God on a moment-by-moment basis. One who lives in such communion, through Christ, will be joy-filled.