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Pastor Jay's Blog

Grease For the Wheels of Prayer, part 2

 

In the last post about prayer, we looked at a few short passages about the incredible power prayer unleashes.  Prayer gets things happening whether we see it or not.  Perhaps the only thing more exciting is to be incessantly told to use it incessantly. This feels almost too good to be true.  I can easily imagine being told never to use a tool of immense power unless it was absolutely necessary.  You expect that with things like guns and 911 and ejection seats.  But prayer is exactly the opposite.  We are told to pray without ceasing. (1 Thess. 5:17)  This is not only a testament to God’s grace, but also to his desire to show himself as a Savior and Father who gladly works at the request of his people.

The single greatest place where I see God driving us to freely use this power is in the upper room discourse.  John 13-16 records the last time Jesus would spend in close contact with his disciples before his death.  It is dense with truth.  But one of those truths is spread loaded throughout these chapters.  Over and over, no less than 4 instances, Jesus says that he would do what was requested when we pray in his name.

John 14:13–14 (NASB95) — 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

John 15:7 (NASB95) — 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 15:16 (NASB95) — 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

John 16:23–24, 26 (NASB95) — 23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf;

This is just staggering.  If he only said this once, it would be astonishing.  But to read this multiple times…. Maybe that is the point.  If it was said only once, it would be too easy to explain away. But with such repetition and emphasis we can’t get around the fact that Jesus wants it firmly established in our minds that our praying is going to accomplish God’s will. 

Even yet, people still refuse to give all the weight of power to these passages.  Why so?  Because they let their experience determine what is true.  When experience is in the driver’s seat, and then they pray a few times and nothing apparent happens, they write off Jesus’ promises as high religious talk with no substance.  But that is bringing a reproach on Christ.  He has never said anything that was not fully endued with truth and reality.  Even more than that, in 16:24 Jesus prefaces what he says with “Truly, truly.”  That is literary punch demanding you take him seriously.     

Now, certainly there are limitations built in.  These limitations are “abide in me” and “My words abide in you.”  The summary way to restate those is to operate “In my name” which is the key repeated phrase.  Therefore, prayer works with 100% efficiency when we know Christ, which happens when you know his word.  Prayer’s purpose has to revolve around him.  This should not be a surprise.  Everything is about him, because when it is not, disorder and death find a foothold.  Hijacking prayer for your own pet projects is idolatry pure and simple and deadly. 

Often times, God lets our idolatrous prayer simply bounce off the ceiling.  We should be thankful for this.  More often, we become discouraged that our praying doesn’t seem to accomplish much.  Regardless, Jesus’ prayer promises stand with full potency.   We should be eager to tap into this.  Let us pray as much as possible and as biblically as possible, because these promises are just waiting to be cashed in on. 

 

 

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