The Lord Will Do It

John 14:12-14 “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
 
OUR previous lesson was understanding Jesus’ first promise here that “anyone who has faith in me will…do even greater things than these (things I have done). Now we look at our Lord’s second promise, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” How do we know this is “the truth”? Do we not ask in our hearts, “Will the Lord, can the Lord do this?”
   To truly pray in Jesus’ name means you are in a faithful relationship with the Holy God. Living in faith to submit to God’s commands opens your heart to be God’s representative on earth. This is as a nation’s ambassador who speaks only in the name of his country’s leader. A true disciple is a true ambassador. You are one with Jesus, united with the Master in your thoughts, words and actions in the same way Jesus is one with the Father. Such a unity will give you the means to live with his power and authority. You will honor the Son to follow his purposes in all you do.
   Thus, to pray in Jesus’ name, does not mean you live as you desire, then suddenly pray, “In Jesus’ name, grant me this prayer.” It means you pray to the Father in the same way Jesus would pray in any given circumstance.
   “Our prayers in Jesus’ name must: (1) reflect Jesus’ character and be consistent with his desires and purposes (2) demonstrate faith in him and his authority (3) reveal a sincere desire to honor both the Father and the Son.  
   “Prayers offered with this attitude and awareness will build faith and provide peace that God is in control and will do what is best for us. Jesus will answer any prayer that he would have prayed himself – that is perfectly in line with his purposes. There is no limit to the power of prayer when it is addressed to Jesus or the Father with sincere faith and according to his desire: Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ (an illustration of faithful prayer’s power) and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  (from Fire Bible™: Global Study Edition, Copyright © 2009 by Life Publishers International.)
   Will the Lord grant anything you ask? He will as it is true to the Father’s will. Jesus’ words, then, are true for a faithful disciple. As mentioned in the preceding lesson, you will be a faithful participant in God’s work on earth to do the great things of evangelizing, leading people to faith and doing miracles. You will pray with the mind of Christ. You will know in the Spirit’s power what is the Father’s good will.  
   This is the potential of the Christian life. Too many of us reject this as impossible. But we must know “with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)