God Wrote The Book

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus made an incredible promise to the Apostles: “I will do whatever you ask…..You may ask me for anything…and I will do it.”  (John 14:13-14 NIV).

What a statement!  But if you know your Bible, you noticed that the above quote is incomplete.  I intentionally left out some of the words to make a point: The often-repeated claim that “God answers prayer” is not a blank check.  It is not without requirements that must be met by the one making the request.  In other words, God promises to answer prayer only if we are faithful in meeting the conditions of answered prayer.

And so we begin a series of posts that focus on the question: What must I do in order for God to answer my prayers?

Let’s go back to John 14:13-14 and read it again….in its entirety: “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  (John 14:13-14 NIV)

This passage contains two conditions of answered prayer.  Did you notice them?

First, we must ask “in my name”, i.e. in the name of Jesus.  And second, the prayer must have the glory of God as its ultimate objective – this is indicated in the second half of verse 13: “so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

Both of these conditions are critical.  And because they are part of one of Bible’s most foundational and pervasive themes (the glory of God), we will come back to them in future posts.

Today I want to draw your attention to what I believe to be the most overlooked condition of answered prayer.  It’s found in Psalm 66:16-20 (NIV) –

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. 17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; 19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. 20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

The psalmist is bursting with joy because God has listened to him, heard his voice and accepted his prayer – all indications of the inexhaustible love of God.  Truly this is a man who is enthralled with a God who answers prayer!

But did you notice verse 18: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”  Right in the middle of this outpouring of praise, the psalmist reminds us that sin will prevent God from even listening to our prayers.  What a sobering statement.

Take a moment now and reflect on the word “cherish” — to hold something dear that is precious to you.  Many synonyms come to mind: to treasure, to value, to adore, even to love.

So the psalmist is reminding us that if we are cherishing sin, God is under no obligation to answers our prayers, or to even listen to them.

God wants us to bring our requests before Him (Philippians 4:6).  He delights in our depending upon Him in any and every situation, and wants us to call upon Him “in the day of trouble”, resulting in our deliverance and His glorification (Psalm 50:15).

But we must first examine ourselves in the light of His Word and if we find sin in our heart, the first order of business is confession and repentance rather than petition.  Only then are we entitled to claim the promise of answered prayer.  Notice the relationship between the self-examination of a righteous life and the expectation of answered prayer in Psalm 17:

“Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry.  Give ear to my prayer – it does not rise from deceitful lips. May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right (v. 1-2)

“Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.”  (v. 3)

“As for the deeds of men – by the words of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.  My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.”  (v.4-5)

Only after a thorough self-examination in verses 1-5 does David say with confidence: “I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.”  (v.6)

May this be the pattern of our prayers: Self-examination, confession and repentance must precede petition.

We continue our study of the conditions of answered prayer by focusing on the often-misunderstood phrase “in my name”.  During the last supper, Jesus told the Apostles: “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  (John 14:13-14 NIV)

Before we explore what this phrase means, let’s discuss what is does not mean, and you’ll see why I say this phrase is misunderstood by many Christians.

I don’t think Jesus is saying we must actually speak the words “in Jesus name” when we pray.  As John MacArthur points out, this “does not mean to tack such an expression at the end of prayer as a mere formula.”

There is ample biblical evidence to support this statement.  First, consider the fact that when Jesus taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, He did not include the words “in Jesus’ name” in these model prayers.

Second, actual prayers of New Testament Christians as recorded in the New Testament do not include the words “in Jesus’ name”.  Two examples: the prayer of the Jerusalem church in Acts 4:24-30 does not use the phrase; and when Stephen prayed to Jesus while being stoned to death, the phrase “in Jesus’ name” isn’t used (Acts 7:59-60).

So what does it mean to pray “in Jesus’ name”?  The answer is found in the last part of John 14:13 – “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”   To pray in the name of Jesus means to pray in such a way that God is glorified by the prayer – with respect to the manner in which the prayer is offered as well as what is being requested.   Jesus is saying that God promises to answer our prayers only if how we pray and what we are praying for result in the glory of God being displayed.

In other words, we could paraphrase John 14:14 like this: You may ask me for anything that glorifies Me, and I will do it.

This interpretation makes sense when you consider the meaning of the phrase “the name of God” throughout Scripture.  In the book of Psalms there are numerous references to “the name of God” which are synonyms for “the glory of God.”  Consider these examples:

Psalm 8:1  (NIV) O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

Psalm 148:13  (NASB) Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.

Not only is “the name” of God synonymous with the glory of God, the psalmists also use the expression interchangeably with the person of God Himself.  We are to: love the name (Psalm 5:11), praise the name (Psalm 7:17), know the name (Psalm 9:10), and trust the name (Psalm 20:7).

So, when we are commanded to pray “in Jesus’ name”, there’s much more at stake than reciting the words.

God is telling us to put our prayers to The Glory Test.  Do your prayers pass the test?

Before asking God for something, ask yourself this question:  “If God answers this prayer, will He be glorified?”

Welcome back to our series of articles on the conditions of answered prayer (or the reasons why God does not answer prayer). Here’s a quick review of what we’ve discussed so far.

Condition #1: God will not answer our prayers if we have “cherished sin in my heart” (Psalm 66:18).

Condition #2: God will not answer our prayers if we do not pray in the name of Jesus, which means that the objective of our prayers is something other than the glory of God. “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father” (John 14:13).

Now let’s consider a third condition.

Condition #3: God will not answer our prayers if we are not living a life of obedience. Or to state it positively: God promises to answers our prayers only if our lives are characterized by obedience to the Word of God.

1 John 3:21-22 is a key passage for this teaching:

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and (we) receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.”

First, notice that the phrase “if our hearts do not condemn us” is a reference to Reason #1 mentioned above. If we have sin in our lives, our hearts willcondemn us. So this verse actually combines two potential roadblocks to answered prayer in the same sentence.

Second, John says that the absence of sin results in “confidence before God” as well as answered prayer. Having “confidence before God” is a wonderful promise that should fill our hearts with joy!

Third, John summarizes his point by saying that a non-condemning heart, confidence before God, and answered prayer are all the result of obedience: “because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.”

It should come as no surprise that John places such a high priority on obedience. One of the themes of 1 John is “tests of genuine salvation”. Throughout the letter John tells us how to know whether or not we are truly saved. If you ever struggle with the issue of assurance of salvation, 1 John is one of the best places in the Bible to find our whether your profession of faith is true or false.

For example, 1 John 2:3 provides crystal clear teaching on assurance. How do I know whether I’m truly a Christian? Here’s the answer:

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”

Straightforward. Direct. Simple. No nonsense. That’s John’s writing style throughout the Gospel of John and his three epistles. And he certainly comes through loud and clear in this verse, doesn’t he?

If I live a life of obedience to God’s Word, I can know that I know Jesus. Now that’s assurance! 1 John 2:4 repeats this idea. “The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Here’s a paraphrase of verse four:

So you say “I’m a Christian. I’m saved. I’m born again. I know Christ as my Savior and Lord.” Great! But anybody can say anything. If you are really a believer, you will prove it by your behavior, by a life of obedience to the commands of Christ. And no matter what you say you are, if you are not living a life of habitual obedience to God’s Word, then your profession is false. In fact, your profession is a lie. Your words don’t prove anything. Only your actions enable you to pass the test of genuine conversion and saving faith.

God only promises to answer the prayers of His people, and His people are those whose lives are characterized by obedience. It’s as simple as that.

We’ve been studying the conditions of prayer, because God’s promise to answer our prayers is not a blank check.  We must meet specific conditions for our prayers to be heard and answered.

Condition #1: We must not cherish sin in our heart (Psalm 66:18)

Condition #2: We must pray in the name of (for the glory of) Jesus, (John 14:13)

Condition #3: We must maintain a lifestyle of habitual obedience (1 John 3:21-22)

Let’s take a look at James 1:6-8 for Condition #4, which can be summarized in one word: Faith.  God promises to answer our prayers when they are offered in faith.

6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.  (NIV)

The New American Standard translation of verse six states this condition quite well: “he must ask in faith without any doubting”.  And if we don’t ask in faith, if we ask with any doubt, “that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”

What a strong warning.  It’s so straightforward, it barely needs explanation. If I don’t believe that God is capable of answering my prayer, then I should not be surprised when He doesn’t answer my prayer.

Why is it so important to ask “in faith without any doubting”?  Think about it for a moment – if I go to God in prayer without really believing He can do what I am asking Him to do, regardless of my words, what am I really saying to God?  In effect, I’m saying, “God, I’m making this request, but it’s really a sham. I’m saying these words, but I don’t really mean it. Truth be told, I’m not at all sure you can come through for me.”

John MacArthur has this to say about the prayer of doubt:

“A request that does not take God at His Word, that doubts either His ability or His trustworthiness, is presumptuous and worthless and is an affront….His request is not really a request at all, because he foolishly and disdainfully does not believe it will be honored by God”  (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on James, p. 37-38).

In other words, if I pray in doubt, I am questioning the power and faithfulness of God.

Of all the conditions of prayer, perhaps this is the one with which we struggle the most. Don’t we all experience times of weak faith?  I sure do.  So how do we know that we’ve prayed with enough faith?  That’s a tough question to answer.

When we find ourselves lacking faith, we would do well to read Mark 9:14-29.  The apostles were unable to drive out an evil spirit from a boy, and his father pleaded with Jesus to take action: “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (v. 22).

Jesus responded, perhaps sarcastically, “If you can?  Everything is possible for him who believes” (v. 23)

The father then exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” (v. 24).

May that be our plea, too. When we struggle with doubt, let’s admit our lack of faith and cry out to God to increase our faith by praying, “Lord, I have faith, but I need more faith, so please help me overcome my unbelief.”

As we consider the fifth reason why God will not answer your prayers, let’s take a close look at this statement by Jesus in John 15:7 –

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”  (NIV)

There are actually two conditions for answered prayer in this verse – we must remain in Christ and His words must remain in us.  We’ll discuss the latter in this month’s article, and come back to the former next month.

Jesus made many amazing statements, and many of His statements are difficult to understand.  F.F. Bruce wrote a book entitled, “The Hard Sayings of Jesus”, which contains 70 chapters, each devoted to one particular “hard saying” of Jesus – hard in the sense of hard to understand.

You don’t have to think too long to remember some of these “hard” sayings. For example, in Matthew 5:22 we read, “everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (NASB).

Or how about this one: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 5:53-54 NIV).  This statement was so “hard” that “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it’. (John 6:60 NIV).  Soon thereafter, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66 NIV).

I don’t think Jesus’ statement in John 15:7 is hard to understand.  “If my words remain in you” – isn’t the meaning of this self-evident?  A true believer is characterized by a love for the Word of God, and will regularly spend time feasting on it.

We must spend quality time in the Word, and there are at least six ways to do that: hear the Word (through sermons, Bible studies, radio/TV), read the Word, study the Word, memorize the Word, meditate on the Word, and apply the Word.

When we practice and develop these six methods of Word-time, we will get a firm grasp on our Bible, and the words of Jesus will remain in us every day.  Hold your hand in front of your face and let your thumb, fingers and palm represent each of the Word-time disciplines: hear, read, study, memorize, meditate, apply.

Time for self-examination:  How are you doing in this area? Is some type of Word-time a part of your daily life?  If not, why not? How is the quality of your Word-time lately?  Do you hunger and thirst for God, and does God satisfy that appetite when you hear, read, study, memorize, meditate and apply the Bible?

If you find yourself lacking in either the quantity or quality of your Word-time, you will eventually see the consequences – your spiritual health will deteriorate and your zeal for God and His kingdom will diminish.  And according to John 15:7, God will not answer your prayers.

Here’s a simple exercise to jumpstart your Word-time:  Over the next 22 days, read Psalm 119 – one of the most glorious passages in Scripture devoted to the incredible life-changing power of the Word.  This psalm is divided into twenty-two eight-verse sections.  Read verses 1-8 on Day 1, verses 9-16 on Day 2, etc.  If you stick with this, you’ll fill your mind with a multitude of reasons to read the Bible — so don’t be surprised if your enthusiasm for God and His Word begins to multiply…..Enjoy!

In John 15:7 we read these words of our Lord Jesus Christ:

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”  (NIV)

This verse contains two conditions for answered prayer: we must remain in Christ and His words must remain in us.  The last article discussed the latter condition.  In this article we’ll take a closer look at the former.

We can glean much insight into the meaning of the phrase “remain in me” by comparing different Bible translations.

What does it mean to “remain in Christ”?  The word “remain” can also be translated “abide” (as found in the NASB and ESV) and it means to stay around, to continue, to persevere.  The Living Bible offers this paraphrase of John 15:7 – “If you stay in me and obey my commands, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted.”  The Contemporary English Version puts is this way: “Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for anything you want, and your prayer will be answered.”  The Amplified Bible says to remain means to “abide vitally united to Me”.

All these versions are expressing a similar thought: “Remaining” is a synonym for intimate union and perseverance.

Jesus is saying that we must continue steadfastly in the faith if we expect our prayers to be answered.  We cannot come and go as we please, taking a willy-nilly, flippant attitude toward the Lord and thinking, “Well, it doesn’t really matter if I wander away from God for awhile because I know He’ll always take me back.”  Such an approach is to presume on the grace of God, which Paul vehemently denounces in Romans 6:1-2 – “Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase? May it never be!” (NASB)

Christianity was never meant to be a sometime or part-time endeavor.  Jesus made this quite clear with His repeated demands for total commitment.  “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Paul exhorted the Corinthians, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 13:5).  We would do well to heed this command regularly, even weekly, for Paul also issued the command to self-examination in the context of observing the Lord’s supper (see 1 Corinthians 11:28).

Would you join me in taking a close look at your life, your faith and your level of commitment?  Are we truly remaining in Christ? Are we “all in” for the long haul? If not, then we cannot expect God to answer our prayers.

We come to the final installment of this 7-part series on the conditions of answered prayer.  When God promises to answer our prayers, He is not handing us a blank check.  Rather, He is making a conditional promise.

If we want God to answer our prayers, we must pray in a particular way, we must do certain things, we must have a specific attitude.  We must meet God’s requirements in order for Him to keep His promise.

And here they are:

1. We must not cherish sin in our heart  (Psalm 66:18)
2. We must pray for the glory of Jesus (John 14:13)
3. We must maintain a lifestyle of habitual obedience to the Word (1 John 3:21-22)
4. We must offer our prayers in faith (James 1:6-9)
5. We must allow the words of Christ to remain in us (John 15:7)
6. We must remain in Christ (John 15:7)

That is quite a list, is it not?  It’s a humbling list.  It’s a list that should bring us to our knees, crying out to the Savior for the grace we need to live the kind of life described above.

We like lists, don’t we?  I have several “To Do” lists that keep me focused at the office.  And I have another “To Do” list for family and household projects.  What would we do without our “To Do” lists?

With the Christian life, we must be careful when looking at a list such as the one above.  Yes, we must take each of these conditions ever so seriously.  But we must also remember this: the Christian life is not a list, it’s a relationship of intimacy with the living God.

Condition #7 is simply a summary of Conditions #1-6: We must be in a vibrant, ever-growing relationship with the Father through His Son empowered by His Spirit.

Isn’t this what the list above is describing?  For God to answer my prayers, I must be experiencing a relationship with Him that is characterized by a hatred for sin, a passion for the glory of Christ above all else, a hunger and thirst for righteous living in accord with the Word, an ever-increasing faith, and an intimate union with Jesus that results in lifelong perseverance.

That is the Christian life.  That is what it means to be a Christian.  And God answers the prayers of Christians.  It’s as simple and profound as that.

The Christian experience cannot be reduced to a list.  But the list above is a good place to start to engage in soul-searching spiritual self-assessment.  So let’s challenge ourselves with the exhortations of these Scriptures. May the Word of Christ dwell in us richly, and may the enabling of the Spirit cause us to be clinging to the Savior as we pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done.