Recently, I’ve discussed our rights as God’s children to ask of him with confidence in prayer. Are you becoming more confident and assured in prayer?
While we can’t control the outcome of prayer, we can control our response to situations. Jesus lived in response to the Father, not to the devil or to circumstances. Jesus modeled dependence on the Father and the Holy Spirit, and he invites us to do the same.
Confident prayer is rooted in our intimate relationship with Jesus.
As we choose to stay in God’s love, peace, and joy, our faith deepens, making prayer more assured. However, when we allow worry and fear to control us, we limit the authority we have been given as God’s children and citizens of heaven.
God wants us to ask and to expect that, as a loving Father, he will answer. Worry and fear left to rule in our minds will dilute our confidence in our right to ask of God.
Today, I want to specifically look at the link between asking God for something, or petitionary prayer, and remaining in God’s joy.
Parable of the Vine
In John 15:1-8, Jesus shares the parable of the vine and the vinedresser. He states a couple of important principles in John 15:7, “If you abide (ménō) in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask (aitéo) what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
As I examined the past two weeks, we can be confident in petitionary prayer when we are
1) abiding in Christ and
2) his word is abiding in us.
The English word abide in this verse is translated from the Greek word ménō. Ménō primarily means to stay in relation, to continue, to remain, to abide, and to endure. Ménō implies that action is required on our part—we are to abide, remain, endure, and stand fast in the Lord.
Your born-again experience unites you with Jesus through faith and the Spirit’s work. This is a spiritual reality, but you must also choose to remain in Christ, allowing his word to fill you. In other words, you must be intentional about your relationship with him.
By choosing to remain in him and his word, faith and trust grow. You become confident that he will answer prayer and meet your needs. Your understanding of God changes as your mind is renewed. Prayer now flows from intimacy with Jesus, and expectation for answers is the outflow of one’s abiding relationship.
The English word “ask” in John 15:7 is from the Greek word aitéo, which is used to depict a person addressing a superior. Aitéo is a verb that means to ask a question, expecting or requiring an answer. The individual approaches and communicates with their superior with respect and honor, yet understands that their superior may insist or demand that specific needs be fulfilled.
Additionally, aitéo conveys the idea that one firmly expects to receive what has been strongly requested.
The word aitéo, used in this verse, primarily refers to requesting physical and material things—such as food, clothing, shelter, and money. Further, Jesus stated that if we seek God’s Kingdom first, God will see to it that the material things we need are provided (see Matt. 6:33).
Persist in Prayer
In Luke’s gospel, Jesus instructs the disciples on how to pray, petition, and persist in prayer.
“9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10 NKJV)
The English word ask in the phrase “ask, and it will be given to you” also translates from the Greek aitéo and is in the Greek present tense—implying continual asking. Jesus instructs us to ask and to keep asking, believing the answer will manifest.
How long do you pray? Keep praying until you receive the answer or the Spirit gives you assurance that the prayer is answered.
Furthermore, Jesus states in this passage from Luke that our heavenly Father gives only good things to his children,
“If a son asks (aitéo) for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? (Luke 11:11 NKJV)
Sadly, many wrongly assume that God is not loving or good because of their past or current circumstances. Perhaps they have prayed and not received an answer in the way or at the time they desired.
Have you ever had a delayed answer to prayer? Did the delay cause you to doubt?
Human reasoning, even the enemy, can cause one to doubt the goodness of God. This erodes one’s confidence in prayer. However, the more intimate we are with Jesus, abiding in him and consistently in God’s word, the more assured we are of God’s goodness, and our prayers will be answered.
Sonship instills confidence that our prayers will be answered by our heavenly Father. He is a good Father who gives good things to those who ask of him!
Jesus said in Matthew’s gospel, “How much more will your Father who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him.” (Matt. 7:11 NKJV)
You have the right to come boldly before God and ask Him for what you need and for the desires of your heart. In fact, He expects you to do so!
A Promise to be Debt Free
In 1991, Carolyn and I were newly married. We attended a financial stewardship class at our church and learned key biblical principles for managing finances and furthering God’s kingdom. On the last day of the course, the facilitator challenged everyone to take a moment to pray and ask God for a one-year financial goal.
As instructed, I took a moment to pray. I specifically asked the Father for his financial goal for us and immediately received a clear impression from the Holy Spirit, “Debt Free October 1, 1992!”
The facilitator told us to write the goal on a piece of paper, pray over it, and take steps to see it realized in a year. Carolyn and I did just that. We began praying to be debt-free in one year and asked God for his strategy to achieve the goal.
God revealed to us that we needed to sell our house and move into a rental for a season—so we did. He also showed us that we needed to sell our business. We advertised the sale of our business, and within a few months, a buyer made an offer. We were scheduled to close on the sale of our business on September 30, 1992, but an administrative delay at the bank pushed the closing to October 1, 1992! God dramatically answered our prayers!
We were able to pay off any remaining debt, and God provided additional “seed funds” to begin our mission work in the nations and in Haiti! It began with a simple prayer, faith to believe his promise, and the courage to act on the strategy he gave us.
God expects you to ask with confidence that he will answer!
The Connection with Prayer and Joy
Paul writes to the Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6 NKJV)
The English word ” request ” is translated from the Greek word aítēma, which has at its root the word aitéo. By using the word “aitéo” in this verse, Paul also urges us to be bold, confident, and demanding as we pray. However, Paul underscores that our approach to God must not be rude or arrogant but rather filled with gratitude and thanksgiving.
This word aítēma is also used by John, “And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions (aítēma) that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:15 NKJV)
Remember, the word aitéo expresses the idea that one expects to receive what was firmly requested. The king, over his kingdom, promises to provide, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32 NKJV)
Other Scripture References of Asking from God
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask (aitéo) when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24 NKJV)
“And whatever you ask (aitéo) in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13 NKJV)
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask (aitéo) the Father in My name He may give you.” (John 15:16 NKJV)
“And whatever we ask (aitéo) we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” (1 John 3:22 NKJV)
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask (aitéo) or think, according to the power that works in us,” (Eph. 3:20 NKJV)
What do you need to ask God for today? How bold can you be? Go for it!
