DaySpring Daily Word of Inspiration: John 16:24 – Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
As a continuation from our devotional from yesterday, we are once again confronted with the ability to ask God for something and how we obtain it. In 1 John 5:14-15 we’re introduced to what we should be asking for and the surety in which we should be making any request. Today we see that how we request from God is essential in having our joy be complete in receiving our request.
As a matter for illustration, God gives us the designated way to his heart throughout scripture. There is a channel that all things funnel through. The channel is Jesus Christ. God pours into Christ and Christ pours into us. In the same way we have to follow that same channel to get back to God. This has a number of spiritual and salvation context, however we’ll stick to power in prayer for this devotional. We are sinners; there are no two ways about it. God is perfect and as such can’t be around or in the presence of imperfection or sin. By ourselves we could never be clean enough, righteous enough, or stainless enough to get into the presence of God. But thank God for Jesus Christ. His perfect blood-sacrifice makes the channel to God open up so that we may flow through, covered by his blood, to be in the presence of God again. When we come before God covered by the blood of Jesus and acknowledge that He is the sole reason that we’re able to be in His presence, it gets God’s attention. God is (and was) pleased with the work that Jesus accomplished while on earth. Everything was (and is) made available to Christ because of his obedience (even to death) to the Father. So now let’s assess this idea. God doesn’t look at us and want to bless us for who we are, it is solely because of who we are in Christ! When God sees his Son’s blood covering us that is our proof that we believe in the life, death, resurrection and work Christ did for us – in our obedience to that teaching we are brought into son-ship with Christ but God sees His Son’s perfect covering, NOT US!!! There is nothing good about you or me! We are sinners! Even on our best day, we still sin in our minds! There is a great and tremendous love in that however, because God loved us enough (or soooo much) that He made sure there was a way for us to get back into a relationship with Him – even when we know we would be sinners.
Now that we have that understanding, how does my joy become complete when I make my petitions and requests to God in the name of Jesus? Your joy becomes complete through the knowledge that you understand as wretched as you and I are, WE DON’T DESERVE FOR HIM TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS (or even hear from our imperfect minds because our sinful selves can’t be in his presence)! We shouldn’t even be called children of God, but because God sees Christ when our petitions and requests are made, we are certain that every good thing we ask for will be granted unto us. That is the joy; that our prayers made it to God and He wants to answer and give us our request because He has given Christ everything already (John 3:34-35). The joy is that Christ perfection wipes out our imperfection so that we may be in the presence of the Father to have a relationship with God again; not just answering our prayers, but now looking after our well-being for eternity. Do you see that today? All things are possible but it is through Christ speaking on our behalf – asking for the correct things that we need, which will bring us ultimate joy.
Today although this passage lands in the middle of the distresses Jesus’ disciples were facing in regards to Jesus leaving them, it sets the stage for a foundational truth. This truth is that we are strengthened in prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. We can expect to be answered by God when we genuinely come before the throne of grace in the name of Jesus. We have a hope in the spirit realm that God’s promises are true and for us through Jesus because everything has been placed in His hands. If you believe that today, let your joy be complete in knowing this and allow the truth about God’s word to be evident in your life today and forever more. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!