All the dealings of God with the soul of the believer are in order to bring it into oneness with Himself.

Hannah Whitall Smith, 1875                                                                                                                                                                     

One of the challenges we all face in this (as we are constantly reminded) “unprecedented” season is our daily life with the micro-view: the stresses on ourselves and our families, on our work. The fatigue of it all. The in-your-faceness.

Smith’s great quote reminds us of an overarching truth for believers: God has the macro-view.

His working in our lives is from an eternal perspective and is always for our good, always to make us more like Him – even when we have no clue how that is developing. And it is also, we may be assured, for the furthering of His kingdom. Despite pandemics, outrageous government policies, chaotic school schedules, and a constant barrage of signs reminding you to:

wearamasksocialdistancewashyourhandsfor20secondsbesuretoreportoffendersrinseandrepeat,

God is working.

So a reader of my post, How You Can Make a Difference, asked me to share my thoughts on John 14:13 & 14:

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

My concept of prayer was radically changed some years ago by Jennifer Kennedy Dean’s study, Live a Praying Life. The 12 week course starts with this premise:

The purpose of prayer is to release the power of God to accomplish the purposes of God.

My task, as a believer, is to be so surrendered to God that His desires become mine. Believe me, this is not easy. My will has muscles I didn’t even know existed.

In the study, Dean includes a section on the “extravagant promises” of Jesus. Not surprisingly, the John 14 verses appear in that section. Those verses prompt an obvious question:

Is this a carte blanche statement?

Well, yes, with one important condition. Every “whatever you ask” verse has what Dean calls a “relationship requirement”: Complete (as in complete) surrender to the will of God.

Addressing this point, South African pastor and revivalist, Andrew Murray, wrote: “The whatsoever is unconditional except for what is implied in the believing. Believing is the exercise of a soul surrendered to the influence of the Word and the Spirit [emphases mine].

God, he says, then breathes into us our praying. I love that thought. When we are unconditionally surrendered to the will of Christ, He is able, when necessary, to:

• correct our petitions
• alert us to the corrections
• thereby prompting us to align our prayers with His heart

Can you think of a time in your lifetime when we’ve needed this kind of clarity more? Me either.

For 21 days, I’m using this Prayer Guide to pray each day and I challenge my readers to join me. Along with many other believers we will be focused on specific petitions, knowing that each one, according to the Word of God, pleases the heart of God. Our personal lives, our precious families, our beloved church fellowship, our communities, the worldwide church – all are covered in prayer in this 21 day period.

The extravagant promises of God are offered with such love, such divine willingness. And when we learn to pray His heart, we recognize His answers as exactly what is necessary.

And that will be whatever enough.

What is your greatest need in regard to prayer? Time? Desire? God is able to help us set aside the time we need to be with Him. Share your thoughts in Leave a Reply below.