Shortly before his
betrayal and arrest, Jesus talked with his disciples and described Himself as
the True Vine. He described his disciples as branches of the Vine, deeply
connected to Him. Of their accord and in their own strength they could not be
fruitful; their fruitfulness in things of eternal value, represented by His
saving mission to the unbelieving world, would depend wholly upon their
connection to Him. In this area, some would be found wanting, their profession
of faith and their connection to Him not being found genuine but nominal at
best (John 15:1-11, Is 5:1-7).
Those who genuinely
had a personal saving relationship with Him would be given the privilege of
asking anything in His Name and having it granted. “If you abide in me and my
words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you,” were Jesus’
words to them.
Many people,
Christians included, have misinterpreted this statement to mean that God is a
genie who will grant us whatever we pray for. Our prayers therefore often
represent our shallow, selfish desires for the temporal things of this world.
We pray for bigger houses, flashier cars and all the trimmings and trappings of
what we consider prosperity to be, not realising that true success and prosperity
is much more than outward appearances. We are sourly disappointed when our
prayers are not answered, sometimes for our own good. James 4:3 states that we
ask amiss, that we may indulge our selfish lusts. What kind of prayer did Jesus
have in mind in John 15 when He said we should ask anything in His Name and He
would grant it?
In order to
understand what Jesus meant, it is essential to read the chapters of Scripture
before and after John 15 where this promise was made. In this way, we can
correctly comprehend what Jesus was saying to His disciples and to us today. In
John 14, Jesus told His disciples that He would soon be leaving the world to go
back to His Father. However, He promised that He would send His Holy Spirit,
the Comforter and Helper, who would dwell within every genuine believer. In
this way, God would tabernacle with His people, convicting them of sin,
comforting them and empowering them for the Great Commission that lay ahead of
them. Every believer who asks for the Holy Spirit will have his request granted,
for it is God’s Will that His Spirit abide in every believer (Luke 11: 5-13).
Jesus then asked His disciples to “abide in Him” just as He abides in His
Father. The “abiding in me” is the condition for the fulfilment of the “asking”.
This means that our prayers will only be granted if we “abide in Christ.” “Abiding”
means to have a close personal, saving relationship with Christ as Lord and
Saviour of your life. Now, the question remains. What do the prayers of someone
close to Christ look or sound like?
The answer is found
in the same chapter of John 15 in Jesus’ expectation of spiritual fruitfulness
in His disciples as well as texts like John 17, aptly titled the “The High
Priestly Prayer of Christ.” Jesus always prayed for the Father to be glorified.
He prayed for His disciples and for later generations of believers. He prayed for
the salvation of the world. Throughout His ministry, He prayed for the healing
of the sick and those facing temptation. It is clear therefore that the prayers
of those who are in a saving relationship with Christ will be prayers that
reflect the character of Christ and the desire of Christ i.e. that the whole
world come to know and believe in Him and none perish. This, together with
adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication for our needs [not greed],
should be our primary aim in prayer. Even the pleasures that God in His grace
grants us in this temporal world are to be for His ultimate glory and the
advance of His Kingdom. The hearts of those surrendered to the Saviour beat in
tune with His Great Heart, seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness. God
will delight in their prayers and grant them the desires of their hearts, above
and beyond what they could ever imagine (Matt 6:19-21, 24-34; Eph 3:20).
