“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16).
One of the wonderful blessings of the new creation life is our privilege to talk directly to God in prayer, and receive answers. When Jesus walked the earth physically, anyone who needed a divine intervention or wanted anything from God had to get to Jesus and make requests of Him. But towards the end of His earthly ministry, the Master declared: “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23-24).
You have the right to pray directly to the Father in the Name of Jesus and receive answers to your prayers. Sadly, some folks don’t have confidence in their own prayers, so they look to others to pray for them. They’re not sure that God will hear them when they pray. But if you’re born again, that shouldn’t be your story because you’re now the righteousness of God. The Bible declares in 1 Peter 3:12: “…the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”
The very thought of this should make your prayer times exciting moments with the Lord, for you know that every time you pray, you’ll surely receive answers because you’re the righteous. Remember, James 5:16 says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” You’re that righteous one the Bible is referring to.
Therefore the next time you kneel or lift your hands to pray, recognize that God is not holding back from you. Never doubt His willingness to respond to your requests for He loves to hear your voice and delights in answering your prayers.
Prayer
Precious heavenly Father, thank you for the wonderful blessing of praying in the Name of Jesus, and the confidence of knowing that your ears are open to hear and answer me today, as I pray. I rejoice to know that you’ve ordained me to receive answers to my prayers, thus I see the results of my prayers in my life and in the lives of my loved ones, in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Further Study
John 16:26-27: “At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: [27] For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
Matthew 21:22: “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
(Taken by permission from Christ Embassy Church , aka Believer’s LoveWorld Ministries , Lagos, Nigeria. www.ChristEmbassy.org )
