May 2, 2023

Scripture: John 14:14 – “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

What it means

Directly from the Lord Jesus’ mouth – good news for all of us who are in the habit of praying “prayers of petition”, where we ask God to grant a specific request on our or someone else’s behalf. In this chapter, Jesus is trying to set the stage for preparing His disciples for the news of His departure, and He offers them many words of encouragement – “Do not let your hearts be troubled”, “I am the way and the truth and the life”, and finally verse 14 that we just looked at. Often, we struggle with our faith, and even though we may pray to God for something specific, there are parts of us that still have serious doubts that God even hears us, let alone answers our prayer. But take verse 14 seriously…God answers prayer…particularly prayer offered in Jesus’ name.

What it means to me

I guess I’ve seen this scripture verse before, but I’m greatly encouraged in looking at this today. We’ve talked about this before, but this doesn’t necessarily that God answers absolutely everything that we ask for – particularly selfish requests that don’t align with God’s will very well. However, the earnest prayer that pleads for God’s direct intervention that is offered in the mighty name of Jesus is always heard, and always answered in accordance to His will. What does that look like for the mom who prays for a sick child who doesn’t make it? I don’t have a great answer for that – the easy answer is “well, it wasn’t God’s will for them to survive”, but that is an incomplete response and not altogether accurate. God’s ways are much higher than our ways, and much of what transpires in this life goes way above our heads…we’re not supposed to understand everything. We weren’t created with that capacity…but rest assured, God hears us, and He answers our prayer in the way that it needs to be answered. His purposes are always best, His plan is always best, and He always has our best interests at heart…so if His answer is occasionally “no”, let’s try our best to be okay with that…and trust Him.

Love you guys, talk to you on Thursday!

In Christ,

Brian