50 Days of Prayer – Day 42
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“If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7 (NIV)
Jesus’ promise in this passage, as well as in John 14:13-14, presents a powerful challenge with opportunity and responsibility for every Christ follower! It holds the key to answered prayer. Both passages relate to fruit bearing. Jesus says that when a believer remains in Him and His Words remain in them, that person’s prayers will be answered! What does that mean? Haven’t you prayed for things in His name, but God did not answer them or at least didn’t answer them as you had hoped He would? Did God break His promise to you?
While there’s much confusion about this promise in prayer, like many other misunderstood passages in the Bible, it is best understood in its context. This is a rule for interpreting Scripture accurately. When you take a text out of context, you can easily be misled. Even Satan, when tempting Jesus, tried to use Scripture to deceive Him. False religions and cults do the same thing and lead many astray. So, let’s begin with a disclaimer: This passage is not a spiritual formula obligating God to grant all our requests. What is Jesus saying then with this amazing and challenging opportunity in prayer?
The keyword in this verse and chapter is “remain.” It is used eleven times in John 15:1-11. In verse seven, Jesus says, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you …” According to Strong’s Greek and Hebrew Dictionary the word “remain” in the language of the New Testament is a primary verb meaning to stay in a given place, state or relationship; to abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, stand or tarry. To remain, then, means to keep in fellowship with Jesus so that He can reproduce His life in us and through us in order to produce fruit by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Jesus says there are two conditions to answered prayer in this promise – we must remain in Him and His words must remain in us. One way we know we are remaining or abiding in Christ is when His words are remaining in us. This doesn’t mean we must carry around a big Bible wherever we go, but to treasure His words in our hearts. In fact, there are a couple of Greek words for the word “word” in the New Testament. One is “logos” which relates to the written or recorded Word of God. But Jesus uses a different word for “words” in this passage. He uses the word “rhema” which pertains more to the revealed word of God. The reference here is not so much to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scriptures which the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need. Our responsibility for that to happen is to regularly store the logos or written Word of God in our minds and hearts by reading and prayerfully meditating on it daily.
To help us understand this relationship Jesus uses a common illustration of a vine and its branches. For the branch to be fruitful it must remain in the vine. The life-giving source that produces fruit comes from the vine, not the branch. If the branch is detached it cannot bear fruit. Jesus said that He was the Vine and we are the branches. If we abide or remain in Him, our lives would be fruitful. While this abiding relationship is natural to the branch and the vine, it must be cultivated in the Christian life. It is not automatic. To remain in Him, His words must remain in us. This brings great joy and intimacy in both the heart of God and our hearts as well! When you begin to cultivate this deeper communion with Christ you experience intimacy with God! Your prayer life takes on a whole new dimension! Faith becomes dynamic! You begin to see life through His eyes and your prayers align with His will for you to be fruitful! You can ask for whatever you wish, Jesus said, because the things you wish for will be the very things God desires as well! In verse eight Jesus said, “This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.”