TEXT: "_If ye shall ask anything in my name I will do it._"--John 14:14.
Jesus testified in no uncertain way concerning prayer, for not alone in
this chapter does he speak but in all his messages to his disciples he
is seeking to lead them into the place where they may know how to pray.
In this fourteenth chapter of John, where he is coming into the shadow
of the cross and is speaking to his disciples concerning those things
which ought to have the greatest weight with them, the heart of his
message seems to be prayer. What an encouragement it is to his
disciples to pray when they remember that he said, "Verily, verily, I
say unto you. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do
also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my
Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that
the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:12-13).
Jesus was himself a pattern of prayer. He had prayed under all
circumstances; with him the day was born in prayer, went along in
meditation and closed in most intimate fellowship and communion with
his Father. Under all circumstances, whether it be the raising of
Lazarus from the dead, or the breathing in of the very spirit of God so
essential to him in his earthly ministry, he prayed; and because he was
a man of prayer himself, he could speak to his disciples with authority
concerning this subject.
If we ourselves would know how to pray there are certain great
principles which must be remembered when we come to him.
First: _We must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them
that diligently seek him_. If one has hazy or mystical ideas of Christ
then from the very nature of the case prayer is impossible.
Second: _We must believe his word_. Mr. Spurgeon's statement that when
he went to God he always went pleading a promise is the secret of his
great success as a man of prayer. Earthly parents are not insensible
to the pledges they make to their children and surely God cannot be.
Third: _We must confess and forsake our sins_. To confess sin is to
arraign before us those sins of which we know ourselves to be guilty,
and when they appear before us in solemn and awful procession we must
heartily renounce them. If we do not we cannot pray. In another place
in God's word we read, "Ye ask and receive not, because, . . ." and
while in the verse the rest of the sentence is "Ye ask amiss," we might
finish by saying, "We ask and receive not, because our lives are not
right in God's sight."
Fourth: _We must exercise our faith_. The little child who prayed for
rain and then wanted to carry an umbrella with her when the sun was
shining is an oft repeated illustration, but such faith as this is what
every child of God must practice.
The text is exceedingly broad. "If ye shall ask anything in my name I
will do it." It is broad enough to include temporal blessing and
spiritual power, comprehensive enough to lead us to believe that God
will direct our lives if we ask him and will bear our burdens even
though they be almost insignificant in their weight. Thank God for the
"anything" in the text!
It may be stated truly that God's promises to Israel are especially
concerning temporal blessing and that his promises to the church have
particular reference to spiritual possessions; and they both, the
history of Israel and the history of the church, prove that God will
give to us temporally as well as spiritually. These blessings are
included in the "anything."
I have been greatly impressed with Paul as a pattern in prayer, and for
the outline of this message as well as for many of the suggestions I am
indebted to an English clergyman, the Rev. E. W. Moore, who has
written, "The Christ Controlled Life," and "Christ in Possession," and
has recently sent out a little book entitled, "The Pattern Prayer Book."
I have noticed in studying Paul that the burden of his prayer was for
spiritual blessing rather than for temporal power, and throughout the
Epistles at least seven illustrations are to be found concerning this
subject.
I
_Prayer for Pentecost_. Ephesians 3:17-19, "That Christ may dwell in
your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may
be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length,
and depth and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."
Just what is the burden of this prayer of Paul's?
First: He is not asking for that indwelling which is ours at
conversion; for this he would not need to pray, for at the moment of
regeneration Christ is ours and eternal life (which is only another way
of saying, "the life of the eternal") is our never failing possession.
Second: He is not asking for the bodily presence of Christ, as some
have suggested, for in this scripture he states that it is by faith
that Christ is to dwell with us.
Third: It is by no means a figurative expression, for if this were true
there would be no comfort in it to God's children. Yet, as a matter of
fact, this prayer of Paul's has been an inspiration to God's people
everywhere. It is rather a special Pentecostal privilege for God's
children concerning which Paul is praying. In Galatians 4:19 we read,
"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
formed in you."
And this is his petition. Let it be noticed that the tense of the verb
in this connection denotes singleness of action, so that Paul's prayer
may be answered not gradually but immediately. If this be true then
let it be answered now for you and for me.
There are three blessings which would flow out of this answer to prayer.
First: _Constancy of experience_. "That Christ may dwell," pleads the
Apostle. It does not mean that he is to come in a fitful experience,
but the language of the hymn is true,
"Abide with me; fast falls the even tide,
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me."
Second: _Strength will be our possession_, for the Apostle tells us
that we are to be "rooted and grounded in him." As the roots of the
tree take hold upon the ground and the giant oak withstands the storms
of the Northern coasts, so we may withstand temptation and trial and be
more than conquerors if this prayer is answered.
Third: _There will be cleansing_, for we are told that "as a man
thinketh in his heart so is he." We are told also that we must keep
our hearts with all diligence, for out of them are the issues of life.
It is easy enough to understand how our lives would be pure if Christ
were only in possession.