CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER — Part 11
"And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1John 5:15).
Today, let's continue to examine this 3rd condition for "Confidence in Prayer," which is "A personal passion for being pleasing to the Lord." The Apostle John wrote, "And whatever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things which are pleasing in His sight." One can have no confidence in prayer if they pursue a lifestyle of "compartmentalizing our lives".
Every follower of Christ is called to exhibit, as their supreme ambition, to be pleasing to the Lord Jesus in every compartment of their lives. So, one cannot say, "I will be pleasing to the Lord in 80% of my life. However, I will keep this 20% to please my flesh!" This compartmentalization will not result in answered prayer; instead, it will result in divine discipline!
If you are a father or mother, you will understand this illustration. There are certain things that parents will do for their children unconditionally. I am speaking of food, clothing, shelter, etc. However, children may desire other things from their parents, which they can forfeit through disobedience, obstinance, and rebellion. It is precisely the same concept in relation to the born-again child of God. Certain blessings the Heavenly Father gives to His children unconditionally. But other blessings can be forfeited when one attempts to merely partially obey and compartmentalize their lives, thinking they will still be pleasing to Him.
Therefore, this 3rd condition for enjoying "Confidence in Prayer" is to exhibit a life that is pursuing unconditional obedience to your Lord and God. Of course, I am not describing perfect obedience. That would disqualify us all from having any confidence in prayer because none are perfect! The righteous believer, who can have confidence in effective prayer, is not perfect. But they are a repentant believer! The believer who falls into sin, confesses it, repents of it and seeks to be cleansed is the person who will have his prayers heard and answered. But the professing believer who gives place to sins of omission or commission and will not deal with those sins will know no "confidence in effective prayer".
This brings us next to the CONFIRMATION of EFFECTIVE PRAYER. Observe again verse 15: "And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." The Word of God testifies that all the prayers of the godly, offered in consistency and harmony with the will of God, are heard and answered in God's timing. That is what James declares, writing, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
Dear brother and sister, in the faith, if we pray according to the will of God and under the conditions of God, then we can have the confidence that God will move heaven and earth to bring about His answer to that prayer. Our God is a cheerful giver when it comes to answering the prayers of His children.
Do you urgently need God's great physical, emotional, or spiritual provision? Do you need divine direction, wisdom, and guidance? Then, here is God's phone number: "Call unto Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know." What a divine invitation!
Allow me to picture that tremendous invitation in this manner, 'Our Heavenly Father sits on the Throne of Grace, eager to hear the prayers of His people. He promises to work all things together for their ultimate good and God's glory!' Remember, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him.
OUR CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER — Part 10
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).
Over the last several devotions, we have considered obstacles to "confidence in prayer." Another obstacle believers encounter is a lack of trusting expectations in the Lord Himself. You cannot genuinely pray to be heard and answered by God unless you truly believe that the Lord God of heaven will listen to and answer your prayer!
Effective prayer occurs when a born-again believer confesses their neediness of the Lord, depositing their dependence on the Lord, and places their confidence in the Lord so that their expectation of the Lord is to answer according to His will and in His timing.
I recently shared God's word with a young man in his thirties who was having difficulty "simply taking God at His word" concerning God's promises, which are given to any sinner who will come to the Lord Jesus on His conditions! This young man very clearly articulated his past religious experiences as being false and deceptive. But he was now battling with the reality of truly placing genuine faith in the Lord Jesus without worrying whether his faith would be real and not a repeat of his past superficial experiences.
I conveyed to this young man that 'the bottom-line truth is that you must be willing to take the Lord at His word.' God is not a man that He should lie! The Word of God invites him to "repent and be converted, so that his sins may be blotted out." This young man must be willing to "take God at His word and repent." The Word of God urges him to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he shall be saved." The young man must willingly "take God at His word" and savingly believe in the person and the work of Jesus Christ the Lord. He must express his absolute neediness of the Lord, total dependence on the Lord, complete confidence in the Lord, and a PERSONAL EXPECTATION that the Lord will keep His word!
Likewise, born-again believers must come to this issue of prayer with a "personal expectation" that God delights to answer His children. Personal expectation is an essential ingredient in effective prayer. God honors genuine faith because genuine faith honors God! "Without faith, it is impossible to please God!" A lack of confident expectation is not pleasing to the Lord. The Lord cannot reward a lack of confident expectation because it dishonors the Lord God. A lack of confidence in expectation leads to neglecting to seek the Lord diligently. Lack of confident expectation fails to await God's answer.
Dear reader, confidence in prayer involves a personal expectation! One born from above must look toward his future with a trusting expectation of the faithfulness of his heavenly Father and his Lord and Savior. Authentic faith in the Lord God is never found alone; this conscious and confident expectation always accompanies it. The individual who truly trusts in the promises of God expects to see their faithful Father fulfill His promises in His perfect timing.
Conversely, there is no genuine faith where the Father is not expected to hear and answer. Notice Mark 6:5-6, "The Lord Jesus could do no mighty works there. Jesus marveled at their unbelief." The follower of the Lord Jesus knows that a promise is true because God has said it is true in His infallible Word. Consequently, his expectations spring from his confidence in God's holy and righteous character.
Tragically, the sad characteristic that describes the typical evangelical church is a "sinful lack of expectation" in the supernatural activity of God in their midst. Church members come and expect another lifeless and powerless worship service, and that is precisely what occurs most often. The average church attender expects the Sunday program to be carried out in its usual monotonous order. Most have little expectation that the supernatural and miraculous power of God will be put on public display, resulting in the miraculous conversion of sinners and the corporate revival of the saints. I am so thankful to be preaching in a country church this very week, which has a core of men who are expressively conscious of their neediness of the Lord, humbly declaring their dependence upon the Lord, confidently seeking the face of the Lord, and are ministering with a living expectation that God will answer.
OUR CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER — Part 9
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).
Today, we are examining the third condition, which is directly related to "Our Confidence in Prayer." This third reality is having a sincere passion to be pleasing to the Lord! Recall 1 John 3:21-22, which states, "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have CONFIDENCE toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, BECAUSE we keep His commandments and do what is PLEASING IN HIS SIGHT."
On the other hand, if a person accepts some sin in their life instead of resisting it, they will know the sting of an accusing conscience. They will encounter the loss of their sense of sweet intimacy with the Lord Jesus. Consequently, there will be no confidence in prayer until they renounce and forsake that sin.
For an example of a loss of confidence in prayer, let's consider 1 Peter 3:7, "Husbands, likewise, dwell them (your wives) with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, THAT YOUR PRAYERS MAY NOT BE HINDERED." The Word of God declares that a born-again husband is personally responsible for being tenderly sensitive to the needs and feelings of his wife. He is responsible for subscribing to needs to meet his spouse's needs. He is to cultivate intimate companionship, treating her with tenderness and gentleness. Failing these responsibilities and neglecting to repent of his failure, his sin will obstruct his prayer life.
Additionally, take notice of another example from James 4:3, "You ask and DO NOT RECEIVE, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." A person's prayer life reveals the motives of their heart. Some are praying intending to attempt to 'use God to fulfill their flesh-initiated agendas.' This person is trying to employ God as their 'genie in a bottle', to fulfill their own carnal desires. But the Lord Jesus taught that prayer is not given "for man to get his will done; rather for God's will to be done."
Therefore, when a true disciple brings prayer before the Lord, which flows from fleshly motives, that disciple can be sure that prayer will fail. You must be sure that your motives are godly. You must be certain that you are seeking the Lord's will to be done in a matter.
Furthermore, one must make sure that there is "no idolatry" that has slithered into your life if you are going to have confidence in prayer. Remember, an idol is anything or anyone that has taken the preeminent position (in your heart), where only the Lord Jesus has the right to rule and reign. Are you aware that a born-again believer can be walking along the narrow road and subtly and sinfully allow the weeds of idolatry to grow in the garden of their heart? If the Lord Jesus is not residing in His rightful place of preeminent and passionate love in your heart, your prayer life will undoubtedly be hindered.
Moreover, a sinful attitude of 'unforgiveness' can also be a tremendous obstacle that poisons a person's intimacy with the Lord and hinders their prayer life. God's word states in Mark 11, "Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone. forgive them." Oh, child of God, when someone wrongs you deeply, you must take it to the Cross and promptly forgive them. Failing to cancel the debt and harboring unforgiveness in your heart will contaminate your soul, corrupt your intimacy with Jesus, and become a significant obstacle in your prayer life. The Lord taught His disciples to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses, as WE FORGIVE OTHERS who trespass against us." How can believers who have been granted forgiveness of all their sins and given life be unwilling to forgive others?
Our Confidence in Prayer — Part 8
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).
Again, we focus on the phrase, "That if we ask anything according to HIS WILL He hears us." I have been submitting that the believer who lives with the sincere ambition to walk in joyful submission to the Lord, walks in total dependence on the Lord, and exists to serve the purposes of the Lord will undoubtedly experience this unlimited promise of personal confidence in answered prayer. The Psalmist wrote, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." If one embraces the Lord Jesus Christ as the chief object of their devotion and the chief source of their delight, the Lord will place HIS DESIRES in their heart. Through redemption, He has already implanted His throne in that heart! Subsequently, He will bring their desires into harmony with His agenda and a submissive heart to His divine will. Thus, God will give you the desires of your heart!
The Lord and Savior stated the same promise: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." When a believer continues to walk in intimate communion with the Lord Jesus, with His words abiding in their heart and lives, having as their supreme passion and purpose to do the will of God, as they are discovering in the word of God, then they will know how to pray in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord.
Friend, this kind of God-pleasing prayer will secure God's answer in God's timing. We could state this truth of "submissive supplication' this way, "The prayer which reaches Heaven is the prayer which began in Heaven!" In other words, the prayer that is answered by the Lord God is the prayer that was initiated by the Lord God.
Next, there is a 3rd condition connected with "confidence in prayer." "It flows directly from the 2nd condition of "submissive supplication." We find it in 1 John 3:21-22, "Beloved if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight." Let's entitle this 3rd condition as a "God-pleasing passion."
When a born-again believer manifests His love for the Lord by displaying a heart (in its disposition and direction) that desires to be pleasing to the Lord, this results in great confidence in the effectiveness of their prayer life!
In one sense, I remind you that every believer must rely on the Person and the payment of Jesus ALONE that grants access and confidence in prayer. Yet, in another sense, believers are personally responsible for continually manifesting a "supreme ambition to be pleasing to Him" if they are to possess a conscience that approves them before the Lord so that they may enjoy confidence in prayer.
Notice again, "If you abide in Me and MY WORD ABIDES in you, you can ask what you desire." However, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." If you harbor some secret sin in the innermost area of your heart when you should be despising and resisting that sin, then the Lord will not hear and answer your prayer. If you are involved in some sin of omission or commission, be assured that the Holy Lord will not hear you (turn a deaf ear) until that sin is renounced and forsaken.
For this reason, that believer, rather than having confidence in prayer, is headed for the correction of their Holy Father! "One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination." A believer giving place to sin and neglecting to forsake that sin will not have a conscience void of offense toward God. So, there will be no genuine intimacy with Jesus, resulting in no confidence in prayer.
Our Confidence in Prayer — Part 7
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).
Today, let's continue our thoughts on the second condition involved in having confidence in effective prayer, which we have entitled Submissive Supplication. As mentioned in the previous devotion, the Lord Jesus did not redeem believers from the "slavery of sin" so that He would become their slave! On the contrary, Jesus redeemed individuals from the slavery of their sins so that they might be His loving and willing slaves. Paul stated, "You are not your own, for you have been bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and your spirit, which now BELONG TO THE LORD." One who is a surrendered slave of the Lord Jesus is personally responsible for disregarding their flesh's interests so that their will would be swallowed up and surrendered to the Master's agendas for their new life.
Many (who profess to be followers of Jesus) regard prayer as some mysterious and mystical device by which they can twist the Lord's arm to get what their flesh desires. But that is not biblical prayer. That never was biblical praying. God's promises concerning confidence in effective prayer encourage true believers to pray for His will to be accomplished. But, they are also given to prevent individuals from praying narcissistic, foolish, and fleshly prayers, which do not focus on God's will, the word of God, and the kingdom of God.
Notice, "If we ask anything, according to HIS WILL." We are not praying to align God's will with our will. Instead, we are to pray to align our life into harmony with God's will and God's agenda. Confidence in prayer is always limited to the parameters of the will of God and the purpose of God. So, if one is praying outside the parameters of the will and purpose of God, that prayer has no assurance of being heard and answered! James 4:3 declares, "We ask and do not receive, because we ask amiss, that we may spend it on our own pleasures."
However, the glorious promise of this verse is, "That if you know that what you are asking is within the will of God (because you have discovered God's promise in the Word of God) then you may ask and know that He hears you. God, our faithful Father, always hears each prayer voiced within the divine boundaries of His will. He has promised that He will answer in His way and in His timing. Remember, the purpose of answered prayer is to accomplish the will of God!
Furthermore, the purpose of answered prayer is to bring glory to God! Observe this truth in John 14:13, "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." Of course, to ask in Jesus' name does not mean just to tack this phrase onto the end of a prayer as if it is some magic formula"! To ask in Jesus' name means praying to the Father based on Jesus' merit. God the Father is perfectly pleased with the Person and the work of His Son. And by His amazing grace and marvelous mercy, those who are redeemed have become friends with His Son. They are now joint heirs with Jesus Christ, accepted in the Beloved One. God has set His love on His born-again children because of His Son!
The Son has authorized believers to ask of the Father so that the Father (by His answers) might be glorified in the Son. So friend, if you are one of the redeemed and your prayer is that God's will would be done in your request, when your prayer is that His kingdom would be extended in a particular circumstance, when it is your sincere desire that, God's purpose would be accomplished in this issue," and when it is your authentic passion that, God be glorified, and Jesus be magnified in that situation; you can be confident that the will of God will be accomplished and the glory of God will be put on display in God's answer! Moreover, the child of God will be filled with joy!
Listen to Philip Guay, Pastor of Providence Baptist Church of Baton Rouge share about the book The Surpassing Power of the Gospel Christ Centered Evangelism.
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Our Confidence in Prayer — Part 6
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).
Today, we continue observing the second vital condition we are naming, 'SUBMISSIVE SUPPLICATION'. Effective prayer is always intimately connected to God's will, the agenda of God, and the glory of God! This promise of "confidence in answered prayer" does not begin with the flesh's will, desires, or wishes. On the contrary, the promise of "confidence in answered prayer" is closely connected to the Divine accomplishment of God's will, the Spirit-empowered extension of His kingdom, and the glory of His name!
This submissive supplication is a common misconception concerning "answered prayer". Many people suppose that "prayer is a means by which men's wishes determine God's will. But the wishes of men never determine the will of God. If that were true, that would make man sovereign and not God! Furthermore, that would be poisonous pride and selfish presumption for one to pray, "My will be done and My kingdom to come." Friend, a believer must realize that effective prayer does not and will never subvert the will of God. A born-again believer is involved in effective prayer when their prayer is bringing their life under submission to the will of God and into alignment with the will of God.
Prayer was never designed to place YOU (self) on the universe's throne. Prayer was designed to bring you to your knees before His throne of the universe!" I am submitting that believer's experience and enjoy "confidence of answered prayer" when they seek God's will, embrace God's will, surrender to God's will; and when they are satisfied with God's will!
Observe John's words in verse 14, "If we ask anything according to HIS WILL, He hears us." The true worshipper of Jesus will have no problem with this truth. A bonafide worshipper will have a passion and purpose to worship the Lord IN SPIRIT (with a heart that is boiling over in adoration of Jesus and allegiance to Jesus).
Consequently, that believer will desire to live the totality of their life as an act of true and acceptable worship to His Lord because they will have a deep desire and determination to live for the glory of the Lord. Additionally, they will possess a supreme ambition to worship God in truth (striving for their entire life to be guided and governed by the truth of the word of God and the will of God).
This authentic worshiper has presented their body as a living sacrifice to the Lord. They have yielded their life as a holy sacrifice, meaning they have personally set apart their flesh's agendas and set themself apart unto God's agendas for their life. This worshiper is becoming transformed by renovating their thinking processes by God's word, so that they may prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect WILL OF GOD!
Observe! When a person worships the Lord Jesus (in this reality of worship), their preeminent passion is that their prayers would be a vehicle through which the WILL OF THE LORD will be accomplished!
"If you ask anything according to HIS WILL, He hears us." Effective prayer does not involve one attempting to make the Lord your servant! Jesus Christ did not redeem you so that He could be your servant. Jesus did not redeem you so that He could be your genie in a bottle or your heavenly bellboy. Jesus Christ redeemed you so that you would be His joyful and willing slave, a loving servant of His Kingdom carrying out His will.
The Lord Jesus is not your slave taking orders from you. If you are His redeemed slave, you are taking orders from Him! So this "confidence in effective prayer" does not consist of anyone attempting to make the Lord their heavenly bellboy to fulfill their flesh's agendas. Confidence in effective prayer consists of the reality that the born-again believer who has been set free from the bondage of sin becomes a willing, surrendered servant of God's kingdom to accomplish His good, acceptable, and perfect and will for His glory!
Our Confidence in Prayer — Part 5
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).
In prior devotions, we have considered the first condition in confident prayer is SUPPLICATION. Now, let us observe the following extremely essential CONDITION noted within this passage. Let's call it a "SUBMISSIVE SUPPLICATION"! "If we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us." This statement, in God's Word, alerts believers to be willing to discern God's will and discover God's promises in a particular situation. In so doing, the born-again believer must be willing to align their petitions with the will of the Lord.
Precious one, please recognize that biblical prayer is not a convenient device for imposing YOUR finite and fallible will upon GOD'S sovereign and infallible will. Prayer is not a fleshly device that you employ to bend God's will into alignment with your will and desire. On the contrary, effective prayer is God's prescribed means of bringing His believer's lives into oneness and harmony with God's wise, sovereign and infallible will"! Please read that again!
Dear reader, effective prayer never prays "My will be done, my kingdom come." Effective prayer occurs when you are willing to pray, asking, "Your will be done. Your kingdom come no matter the personal cost to your life." Please understand that effective prayer takes place when you are willing to line up your life, both in submission to the Word of God and conformity to the will of God, no matter the personal consequences. And watch this closely! You can be confident that "God will test you to see if you are willing for His will to be accomplished, even if it involves personal sacrifice in your life!"
I will never forget the early days of ministry in communist Cuba in 1996. Three of us "brothers in Christ" were teaching and preaching in the Eastern Baptist Convention of Cuba. Two of our team were interrogated by the communist immigration authorities. The authorities commanded that they stop preaching or be arrested and imprisoned. Then, they further threatened us with the fact that they would charge each of us $10,000 to be released from communist prison. Of course, they knew we did not have that amount with us, nor would we be able to receive the funds from home.
After this encounter, we met in the hotel room to seek the Lord in prayer and discern His will for us in this particular trial. All three of us were reminded of this verse from the Word of God, "We must obey God rather than men." After our time together in prayer, we were given the peace to continue preaching the Word. But first, we needed to approach the President of the Eastern Baptist Convention to share our hearts and desires with him. We did not want to be the catalyst that brought additional persecution against him. Once he gave his blessings, we continued to herald the Word of God, even though being aware that we could be thrown in prison at any moment.
Dear friend, all three men knew and understood that the "accomplishment of the will of God in this matter" may result in an extremely high personal cost. Fulfilling God's will is not usually a "detour around adversity." Often, it may very well be a "guided tour" that takes you directly through the valley of adversity. However, when we pray for the fulfillment of God's will and seek to carry out His will (no matter the personal cost to ourselves), Jesus will be magnified, whether by life or death! God will be glorified, whether by freedom or imprisonment! By the way, this time, we continue to preach. We separated our duties and locations. We preached in different places and then traveled to another at night. The Lord allowed us to escape many snares and return home safely.
OUR CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER — Part 4
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that is 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 4:14-15).
Today, we begin to consider the CONDITIONS for effective prayer. The first condition is patently obvious. However, we must continually be reminded of this conspicuous condition God requires of His born-again children. Note the words, "That if we ASK anything…." This verse admonishes believers to come to God and ask Him, with a personal faith in the goodness of our Father!" Our gracious God (through the apostle Paul) exhorts in Philippians to "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God…. ." Our Lord points out that "worrying and fretting indicate a lack of confidence in God's wisdom, God's sovereignty, and God's authority over your particular situation.
However, this is an encouragement for His children, "Do not park in the place of worry, anxiety, and fear. Instead, park (rest) in the place of believing prayer! Corrie Ten Boom often said, "Turn your cares into prayers!" Bring all your desires, burdens, and appeals to the throne of Grace. Believers, you have a Heavenly Father seated on the universe's throne. You have a victorious Advocate, Intercessor and Mediator who is ruling and reigning at the right hand of the Majesty on high! So confess your neediness of the Lord; place your reliance upon the Lord; and express your confidence in the Lord. Diligently seek the Lord with this heart of neediness, reliance, confidence, surrender, and expectation.
Observe the words, "That if you ASK anything". Dear friend, God alone can help you. He has a great desire to help you. But you are called upon to ask Him, making your petitions known by prayer and supplication. When one truly believes that "prayer to our Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent Lord God is not in vain, they will ask, seek and knock and continue asking, seeking and knocking!
Dear one, it is not enough to think about your issue. It is not enough to dream about a solution. It is not enough to hope that an answer will come. It is not enough to talk to everyone else about your particular situation. Moreover, asking everyone else to pray about a resolution is not enough. (Although it is always acceptable to seek the Lord together.) Our Father desires that YOU ask Him personally, that YOU seek after Him for His answer (for His plan, will, and purposes), and that YOU knock at His door of amazing grace and marvelous mercy.
The Psalmist wrote these beautiful words in Psalms 2, "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You. ASK OF ME, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance. '" With these glorious words, we are privy to eavesdrop on a conversation about the timeline of human history! This is a Divine exchange between God the Father and God the Son, occurring outside of human history. This conversation points down the corridors of time (over 500 years) when the Lord Jesus would enter into human history to carry out His great redemption mission!
When God the Father speaks of "giving the Lord Jesus the nations for His inheritance," He speaks of the "bride of Christ," which will be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and gathered from every tribe, tongue, nation, and people group! Yet, did you notice what God the Father says to God the Son? "ASK OF ME, and I will give you this bride out of all nations." Now friends, if God the Son was not exempt from this "rule of asking through prayer", then you and I cannot expect this command to be relaxed on our behalf! Jesus knew prayer. He loved prayer, and He was confident and effective in prayer.
If God has promised to give in response to "our asking," and if God's answer is available, and yet we remain needy, then who is responsible for the blame for the lack of answered prayers? The Lord Jesus declares, "Ask, and it shall be given to you."
The Lord Jesus did not say that you deserve the blessing of prayer. The Lord Jesus did not say, "You must merit the blessing". The Lord did not say, "You must work for the blessing." He said you must ASK of Me! Our God is a loving Father and a generous giver. He desires that the ones He has rescued from the penalty of sin and given life would call upon Him. The Father delights when we ask, placing our reliance on His divine sufficiency! But we must come to Him with confidence, trust, and a real expectation that He will answer according to HIS WILL and in HIS TIMING!