DAILY DEVOTIONAL FROM PASTOR WESLEY February 4, 2022
Answered Prayer
Praying in Jesus' name ensures that if what we ask aligns with God's will, our request will come to be.
``If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ``My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. ``Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ``If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. ``These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. John 15:7-11
After Jesus told His disciples to pray in His name, He promised they would receive their requests. Some Christians have taken this as an open-ended guarantee that every petition they make will be answered as long as they end the prayer “in Jesus’ name.” But such thinking only leads to dis-appointment and confusion when they don’t receive what they’ve requested.
Throughout His earthly ministry, the Son of God did only what His Father desired. Praying in Jesus’ name means following in His footsteps and asking according to His will, not our own. And how do we know what His will is? He tells us in His Word. Jesus said if we abide in Him and His Words abide in us, whatever we ask will be done for us. That means the more we pray according to Scripture, the more effective our prayer life will be.
Praying in Jesus’ name is also an act of dependence upon God. We don’t always know how to pray as we should. Though our knowledge is limited, God’s is infinite, and He knows every step He’s planned for our lives. When we come to Him in Jesus’ name, we’re trusting Him to answer according to His great wisdom.
Listen to Dr. Michael W. Wesley Sr. on OnePlace.com
Watch Dr. Michael W. Wesley Sr. on LightSource.com
