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Answered Prayer Promised in Jesus’ Name

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20130805_ansprayer

The following is taken from Bob Hoekstra’s Day By Day By Grace devotional.

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
(John 14:13-14)

We who belong to the Lord have a great invitation to thoroughly express our hearts to Him in humble, dependent prayer. “Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him” (Psalm 62:8). We also have a great need to speak to Him. “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We also have great promises of answered prayer. “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do…If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

When the people of God are prayerless, they do not receive from the Lord all that He wants to give to them. “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). At times, God’s children pray, but they still do not receive from the Lord. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). Their prayers are anchored in their own wills and interests. True praying is to be anchored in the will of God. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

At this juncture, the Scriptures are vital in our daily prayer life. God’s word directs us in praying according to the will of God. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). As we are abiding in (depending upon) Christ, we will want His word to have full sway in our lives. As we consistently get into His word, the Scriptures shape our thoughts and our desires. Consequently, we ask what the Lord teaches us to desire. In that beautiful biblical setting, He promises to give us whatever we ask.

All of this describes the essence of praying in the name of Jesus. Praying in Jesus’ name is not merely a formula of words with which to conclude our prayers. Whether we verbalize that phrase or not, it is about praying as Jesus would pray (always concerned with the will of His Father). It is about praying based on all that the word teaches concerning the person and work of the Lord Jesus on our behalf. Those who pray this way enjoy the certainty of these great promises of answered prayer, and they see much glory brought to God. “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Lord Jesus, thank You for these great promises of answered prayer. Teach me to pray in Your name. Please shape my praying by all that Your word reveals concerning Your will and Your work on my behalf. In Your precious name, I pray, Amen.

Comments

  1. Wonderful! WONDERFUL! WoNdErFuL! This has got to be one of the hardest things for believers. I know it was and sometimes still is for me and the point Chris makes “God’s word directs us in praying according to the will of God.” is so profoundly true.

    If we don’t know the WOG how can we but ask amiss. We have nothing to base our prayer on except our human wants and needs. How limited would our blessings be if they only addressed our wants or our temporary needs?

    It was such a comfort to me when I realized that it is TRUE that if my prayer is not answered it’s because God has something better in mind for me than my heart and mind can conceive at the moment.

    So many times we pray for those sick with cancer for instance and God takes them home to be with Him rather than answering our prayer for health for them. If we could see the reality of God’s purpose in that situation I would imagine we would see such glorious miracles being born in those situations. Our pain and loss would be greatly diminished by the revelation that that particular event may have been a catalyst for the eternal salvation for someone. I believe this is true for EVERY unanswered prayer prayed within a godly heart.

    I’ve experienced MANY nightmarish moments when it seemed God had turned His face from me but I’ve looked back and seen the hand of providence and been upheld through the storm. I’ve also been blessed and amazed when I watched closely during tragic events to see God in the moment and He ALWAYS showed me awe inspiring details that I’d have missed had I not attempted to see Him in the storm walking just beside the boat. We have to realize that God knows the end from the beginning. In every event God has control and with Job, for instance, God used the events to show us what kind of man Job was and that what satan means for our harm God uses for our good. We can trust His promises that in every instance God is victor! Romans 8:37

    I once heard Corey TenBoom say that God loves it when we open our bibles and pray His word to Him. Starting today I think I’m going to make that part of my prayer life. To find a promise in scripture from God and ask Him for it for my loved ones and myself when there is a need.

    If you haven’t seen Corey TenBoom’s story it’s very inspiring and I’d highly recommend it.

    Corrie Ten Boom interviewed by Kathryn Kuhlman
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMzGJIVYWH4&list=FLij-QV_-CiE1NuJGmTamL-Q

    Thank you so much Chris for this wonderful post. I pray that the blessing it gave to me will boomerang back to you.

    • Hallelujah.

      Praise the Lord for His Word who is our Teacher in all things.

      Also praise the Lord for our sister’s and mother’s in Christ. You are one of these Tess.

      As the Lord Jesus was setting me free from the dark strongholds of Satan I had been bonded to, one of the first (maybe it was the first) Christian book I purchased (other than a bible) was on prayer, written by a wonderful lady in Christ. She taught on how to pray by praying to God His word.

      When I return to home from work I’ll find her book and add her name to this blog. I praise the Lord for her teaching and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration in the months that followed as praying His word was truly my path to spiritual freedom. Prayer in power.

      One example is the apostles Paul prayer “to be strengthened with might in the inner man by God’s Spirit that we might walk a life worthy of the Lord bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God.”

      This became a prayer for myself as well as a prayer I pray often for others.

      Tess I have read Corrie TenBoom’s book, truly inspirational and it makes my hardships seem minor. Corrie is as a mother in Christ for me.

      Another wonderful women in Christ is Hannah Smith – can’t recall the book’s title but will look for this.

      Have to go…

      In Christ
      Mark H NZ

      • Thank you so much Mark,

        You know what God does for us is so very amazing. I was searching tonight for my scripture to pray and came upon

        Psalm 71:16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

        Being a single mom alone to raise my son was so difficult but it was the most precious and wonderful blessing God could ever have given me.

        Alone I’d managed to mess up every part of my life but suddenly a new life was dependent on me for his every need. I knew I was not worthy of such a beautiful gift from God and this new birth became my re-birth. A new life to cherish. A person given to me by God and all I cared about was doing everything in my power to honor the God that who created this life and placed him in my arms. Doing my best as a parent became the most important thing in my life.

        Being a parent is such a privilege. Love is multiplied 10,000 fold as we watch this precious person laugh and grow and cry and learn. I slowly began to realize that God loves us like that and even more.

        Once that dawns upon your heart it has such a tremendous impact. If I had only one prayer it would be that everyone could have that sort of revelation.

        My prayer for tonight is;
        Please Heavenly Father give Your strength to parents to make mention of Your Righteousness and Yours only. Give them the revelation You gave to me as they struggle in enemy territory. The victory is theirs if they will trust You for it. Please heal our broken families. Thank you God for every moment you’ve given me and help me as a mother and Your child. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

        I’m looking forward to knowing the books you mentioned.

        I read a great quote last night. Something to the effect that had satan known what Paul would do and the victories he’d win for the Lord through those attacks satan might have thought better of it and left Paul alone.

        • Hallelujah

          A blessed testimony Tess. I give thanks to the Lord Jesus and our heavenly Father for the wonderful love you and your son have found.

          Thank you for sharing your testimony and your prayer.

          My family oft has struggles and prayer is I believe our answer.

          Blessings in Christ
          Mark H NZ

      • Hallelujah

        A wonderful book to read led by the Spirit is Beth Moore’s “Praying God’s Word – Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds”

        As I watched and listened to my wife’s prayers in 2007 & 2008 I only felt much pain and much darkness. I wanted to know the joy she had found in prayer.

        I asked the Lord Jesus to teach me to pray as I had really struggled. The above book as I mentioned before in my earlier blog, one of the first Christian books bought by me as a born again child of God, enabled me through the Lord Jesus’ gentle guidance to really begin to pray.

        Corrie Ten Boom’s book that inspired me much is “A Prisoner And Yet.”
        Her life she shared in the German POW camps with her sister Betsie, was truly a time of harship but for Corrie a time it seems of much spiritual growth.

        How does one reconcile it when their sister, a loving believer of God and His Son Jesus does not live to see freedom, yet she, Corrie, did?

        Truly only the grace and peace of God through Jesus Christ enables such a testimony as Corrie had.

        The title of Hannah Smith’s book is “Christian’s Secret Of A Happy Life.”

        Blessings in our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ
        Mark H NZ.

  2. Acts 2:38-40
    Heavenly Father, Abba, Prince of Peace. I humbly ask for and claim this promise for all my beloved nieces and nephews and children and the youth I’m blessed to interact with daily. Call them to You God. Give them no rest without You. No peace but through You and no happiness in this sinful world.
    These things I ask in Jesus name, Amen!

    • Father,
      By faith I stand in agreement with my sister Tess. If one can put a thousand to flight, then two-ten thousand. Thank you for hearing our cry and coming to “see about” us. We love you in Jesus Name, Amen.

  3. Furnish thyself with arguments from the promises to enforce thy prayers, and make them prevalent with God. The promises are the ground of faith, and faith, when strengthened, will make thee fervent, and such fervency ever speeds and returns with victory out of the field of prayer. The mightier any is in the Word, the more mighty he will be in prayer. ~William Gurnall

  4. Praying His Word recognizes His truth, His purpose, recognizes Him. Jesus exhorts us to ask of Him, to put into action His will, the desire of the Father as much as can be committed within our influence. Citing the scriptures above refreshes them for us, thank you Chris.
    Jhn 5:36-47

    When we pray His Name, God is involved to move that prayer according to His purpose for His glory. He will do it according to His name. Consider the power of prayer in the will of the Father according to the entire message of His Word, Jesus, save………the name of whosoever the prayer is for. The name of the Father is what He does, Savior.
    Who is God and How will we call on Him? Jesus. Jhn 5:39

  5. Col 1:3-6

    We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

    Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

    For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

    Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

    Col 1:9
    For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

    That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

    Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

    Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

    Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: