If Ye Shall Ask

The inspired pages of Scripture are full of beautiful prayers of saints and moving promises of God’s nature and actions towards His beloved children. One will never exhaust the meaning and applicability of them all nor plumb the depths of how valid and true they are even today. Just to focus on one heart-rending prayer of a desperate man or woman in Scripture would take days, weeks, or even months to extract just a fraction of the life found within it; or to dive into the uplifting and glorious promises found within Psalms that turn our gaze heavenward to God’s beauty and perfection in every aspect would take a lifetime of raptured awe.

But what happens when both prayer and promise come together from the very mouth of God Himself? What occurs within man’s spirit when God states a promise of His divine nature and action towards us and does so beseechingly towards His audience?

John 13-17 is filled with some of the most precious words of Jesus. Words that laid the foundation for the apostles future faith in Him as their Lord and Savior within the new kingdom to come at Pentecost. Yet there is a promise given by Christ to His disciples. Not just once, but approximately 7 times this promise is stated. But when it is first given in chapter 14:13,14 Jesus
gives it extra emphasis by repeating Himself immediately. What is this promise?

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the
Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

This promise has been at the root for many a Christian’s joyful prayer life as well as the bitter, defeated and empty prayers of many disillusioned believers. It is clear that this promise holds a dear place within the heart of God. And what does Jesus say in Luke 18:8 after giving the parable of the persistent widow regarding importunity in prayer - “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” But how could such a beautiful prayer deliver such contradictory results for so many believers?

Before we fully answer this question, we must first discuss three major aspects surrounding this
promise: context, audience, and purpose.

The context of the prayer is often overlooked by those endeavoring to claim this powerful promise of Christ. What led up to this promise given? Jesus was answering Phillip’s plea in vs. 8:

“Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.” 

Because of this request, Jesus begins to hammer home to the disciples that He and His Father are One. His immediate answer reveals the divine unity the Father and Son have together in vs. 9:

“He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” 

Christ goes further, revealing the humility and love He has for the Father by stating that words and works He had said and done were not of Himself, but of and for the Father. Over and over again, Jesus had demonstrated to the public His supreme love and submission to His Father. Our fleshly and sinful hearts wouldn’t blame Jesus to claim some of the worship and praise of the world just for Himself. We naturally think that Christ knew who He was; and therefore, He desired everyone to look to Him for their salvation for His own glory and recognition. But this is not the case.

Every word and deed Christ performed and still performs is ALL from and for His Father. The Creator of the universe, the One given the Name above all names willingly submits Himself to the will of His Father. Jesus does everything His Father desires, and the Father freely gives all things to His Son. The most beautiful, unspeakable love this world will ever see is the love the Trinity holds within itself. Oh how blessed we are that we are not only invited to witness it but to also experience the love the Father has for His Son as joint heirs in Christ!

It is only after this that Christ gives the beautiful promise in vs. 13. But there is still more to discuss - the audience.

The disciples, the 11 as Judas had already left after the Passover, had followed Christ for all three years of His ministry. Though very flawed in faith and motivations, these men had truly forsaken all earthly things to serve and follow their master. They were ready to die for Him. And even when others had forsaken Him and hated Him, they still remained true to Him. Not once is it recorded of them disobeying or rejecting Him. They had left ambitions, careers, families, dwellings, comfort, and wealth all behind for Jesus.

Can we say the same of us? This wonderful promise wasn’t given on the sermon of the mount. It was not given to an audience with unbelievers and Pharisees. Nor was it given to all of His followers and disciples beyond just the 12. No, it was only given to these 11 men on the night before His death. Before we despair in our prayers and claim that this promise just doesn’t work anymore, we must inspect ourselves - have we surrendered all to Christ? Is Christ’s kingdom and glory our first and truly only love? If we see idol after idol jockeying for position on our heart’s throne, then do not think that this promise is for you. You will not receive anything from God.

But before we despair, we must keep in mind how flawed and even faithless at times these men were as well. They would shortly flee from His side. They had lacked faith and feared in countless situations. They had desired earthly gain and fought amongst themselves for dominion. Yes, they were faithful to Christ, yet their faith was barely the grain of a mustard seed. Just like them, we have nothing to boast of, only the persistent and patient work of Christ through the Holy Spirit. If God can transform these sinful men into the likeness of Christ, then all is needed on our part is absolute surrender, and He will perform His miraculous work within our hearts and lives.

The last consideration is the purpose of this promise. This is clearly stated in Jn. 14:13:

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

The glory of the Father being made manifest within the Son is the ultimate purpose of this promise. How many Christians abuse this promise expecting wealth, prestige, relationships, comfort, health, etc. without a single thought towards what this promise was intended to accomplish?

Obviously, this does not mean that no personal desires are to be made before God, to the contrary! But what is the driving force behind our requests? The only motivation worthy of giving us assurance that we will receive our petition is the insatiable desire to see God’s character and Person exalted. You desire good things to come your way so that you and others may see the goodness of God. You plead for His inner working within your life so that others may behold the perfect work of Christ within you. Regardless of the request, the driving thrust behind it is the exaltation of Christ and the mandatory abandonment of self.

These three considerations - context, audience, and purpose - must be in full view when reading and praying through this promise. But now that this foundation has been laid, let us look in full at this simple but encompassing promise that so often eludes many believers. Just for Christ to say something once would be enough for all of us to take note and fully trust in His word. But here, He immediately repeats Himself revealing how important this promise is to Him and how much it should be to us. He wants us to take note of this particular promise. God knows our faithless nature, and He knows that we will see a promise that beckons us to ask ANYTHING and expect in faith to receive it and for us to eventually give up in despair after a few minutes of praying.

Yet seven times Christ reiterates this promise in this conversation with His disciples: ask and I will do it! You can almost hear the pleading in Christ’s voice as He continues to pound this promise into His disciples' skulls. Yet, how many of us glaze over these words and think: A nice and wonderful promise, but obviously I can’t take this too literally.

Why do we think those words? Because we have asked and not received. We have already discussed the prerequisites of this promise so we will not delve into them further, but there are other reasons one may ask and not receive. If a man desires God to be glorified and if his heart is in complete surrender to God and His Gospel in Christ, then this promise is for him!

But why do we still come up empty-handed? Importunity in prayer. Who can peel back the firmament and understand the mind of God? Yet, in Scripture, God has made it clear that perseverance in prayer; long, sleepless nights in agony; fastings and pleadings…these He has placed high value upon. These grab His attention. To quote a departed saint of God Leonard Ravenhill, “God does not answer prayer. He answers desperate prayer.”

Why does God give tenacious prayers such high regard? Luke 11 and 18 showcase Christ giving parables on such a topic - the widow and the unjust judge and the needy friend knocking on his neighbor’s door at night. Obviously, God wants us to believe His promises and take them for face value. But we must also take his other teachings at face value as well.

Persevering, abiding, believing, and desperate praying reveals two things. First, it showcases to the All-Knowing God that the man praying to Him is solely relying on Him to supply his petition. The man or woman is not hedging their bets. They are not conserving energy so as not to waste too much time on what could be a fruitless endeavor. No, they are putting all of their faith, hope, energy, and time into seeking out God for their needs. But second of all, it reveals to the world and to the petitioner the mighty, saving arm of their Lord. II Chron. 16:9 states this exactly:

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."

Christ is practically pleading with His disciples to listen to His promise. He desires that they be men whom the Lord’s eyes will find worthy of beholding the might of God to provide and to save. We know that we have the Lord’s eyes and ears when we knock and knock and knock on heaven’s gates with but one plea - that Christ may be magnified.

The closing conversation Christ has with his disciples is full of promises that should stop any believer in their tracks when they come across each one. Does God truly mean these beautiful promises? Will He manifest Himself to those that obey Him and love Him (Jn. 14:21)? What does it mean for the Father and the Son to make their abode with someone who loves Christ and keeps His commandments (Jn 14:23)?

I would dare say that the vast majority of Christians have yet to truly know the full weight, power, and beauty of these promises in their own experience. Some may give doctrinal answers to what they mean, yet their lives are hollow and devoid of power. What better request to take to God, claiming Christ’s promise, than to beg God to have Christ manifest Himself to you, to know what it means for God to make His abode with you. Be desperate. Be violent. Be persevering. But always be believing that if you ask in Christ’s name, He will give you your petition.

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