WE NOW COME to the crux of our verse: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7). The crux is in the if. The if covers two conditions—“abide in me, and my words abide in you.” If you surrender to Him in general—“abide in me”—and if you obey Him in particular—“my words abide in you”—then the door is open to His everything; ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you. This is the most limiting and yet the most unlimited conception of prayer ever propounded—limited to two conditions and limited to no conditions. He binds us and then frees us—frees us to ask anything! If you fulfill the first two conditions, then you will ask only what He would approve and will receive only what He knows is good for you—the best for you.
Does God answer all prayers? Some say He does, but the answer is, no! He cannot, by His very nature, answer prayers of those who do not abide in Him and in whom His words do not abide. They would pray apart from His spirit and whatever is apart from His spirit is apart from our good, for whatever is good in Him is good for us. His will is our weal-th and our wealth.
Here prayer is put on its highest level—every prayer prayed in the spirit of Jesus is answered. That cleanses prayer and consummates prayer. “Love God and do what you like,” could be amended: “Love Jesus Christ and ask what you like,” for you will ask the things He likes.
This cleanses prayer from all self-reference—“the answers are within you,” for they are not; they are in Him. It cleanses prayer from all “much speaking,” for you are not answered for your persistence, but by meeting these two conditions.
O Master of my heart, Thou hast opened the gates to Thy everything. I am free to ask the highest, and the highest is free for the asking. I am rich beyond measure, for everything good for me is open to me. Prayer is possibility. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I do not want God to answer my prayers; I want my prayers to answer to God’s will.
