Aligning Prayer with God's Will: The Promise of John 15:7

Devotional

Day 1: Abiding in Christ's Words Transforms Desires

When Jesus speaks of abiding in Him and His words abiding in us, He is inviting us into a transformative relationship. This abiding is not passive; it actively shapes our desires and aligns our prayers with God's will. As we immerse ourselves in His teachings, our hearts and minds are renewed, leading us to pray not for our own desires but for what God desires. This transformation is a journey of deepening communion with Christ, where His words become the lens through which we view our lives and the world around us. [03:01]

John 15:4-5 (ESV): "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to let Christ's words dwell richly in you, transforming your desires and aligning your prayers with His will?

Day 2: Prayer as Participation in God's Sovereignty

Prayer is a profound privilege that allows us to participate in God's sovereign plan. While we are encouraged to pray for the salvation and well-being of others, it is ultimately God who determines the outcomes. Our role is to faithfully intercede, trusting in His wisdom and timing. This understanding of prayer as participation rather than control helps us to approach God with humility and trust, knowing that He is working all things for His purposes. [04:57]

Romans 11:33-34 (ESV): "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?'"

Reflection: Who is someone you can pray for today, trusting that God is sovereign over their life and circumstances, even if you don't see immediate results?

Day 3: Jesus' Example of Submission in Prayer

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus provides the ultimate example of submission in prayer. Despite His deep desire to avoid suffering, He prays, "Not my will, but yours be done." This moment teaches us that true prayer seeks alignment with God's will, even when it conflicts with our own desires. Jesus' example challenges us to trust in God's plan, knowing that His purposes are higher and His love is perfect. [07:02]

Hebrews 5:7-8 (ESV): "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to submit to God's will? How can you follow Jesus' example of prayerful submission today?

Day 4: Understanding Prayer in the Context of Scripture

The promise in John 15:7 must be understood within the broader context of Scripture. Other passages, like 1 John 5:14, remind us to pray according to God's will, emphasizing that our prayers are not the ultimate authority. This scriptural context helps us to see prayer as a dialogue with God, where we bring our requests but ultimately submit to His perfect wisdom and timing. [08:45]

James 4:2-3 (ESV): "You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."

Reflection: How can you ensure that your prayers are aligned with God's will, rather than driven by personal desires or passions?

Day 5: Expecting Great Things While Submitting to God's Will

We are encouraged to expect great things from God and to attempt great things for Him, all while submitting to His sovereign will. Our prayers are significant and powerful, yet it is God who determines the outcomes in His perfect wisdom. This balance of expectation and submission calls us to trust in God's goodness and to persist in prayer, knowing that He is at work in ways we may not fully understand. [10:24]

Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV): "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Reflection: What is one great thing you are expecting from God? How can you submit this expectation to His will, trusting in His perfect timing and wisdom?

Sermon Summary

In today's discussion, we delve into the profound promise found in John 15:7, where Jesus states, "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." This promise, often cited in "name it and claim it" theology, raises questions about its theological soundness and biblical accuracy. The key to understanding this promise lies in the condition Jesus sets: His words must abide in us. This abiding shapes our prayers, aligning them with God's will rather than our own desires.

The promise is not a blank check for fulfilling personal wishes but a call to deeper communion with Christ, where His words transform our desires and prayers. When Jesus' words abide in us, they guide us to pray in accordance with God's sovereign plan. This is evident in Jesus' own prayer in Gethsemane, where He submits His will to the Father's, demonstrating that true prayer seeks alignment with God's purposes.

Furthermore, the promise in John 15:7 must be understood in the broader context of Scripture. Other passages, such as 1 John 5:14, emphasize praying according to God's will. The Apostle Paul's prayers for his kinsmen in Romans 10:1, despite their ultimate rejection, illustrate that our prayers are part of God's larger redemptive plan, not a means to dictate outcomes.

Ultimately, the promise encourages us to expect great things from God and to attempt great things for Him, while submitting everything to His sovereign will. Our prayers are powerful and significant, but they are not the final authority. God, in His wisdom and love, determines the outcomes, and our role is to trust and persist in prayer, knowing that He is at work in ways we may not fully understand.

Key Takeaways

1. Abiding in Christ's Words: The promise in John 15:7 hinges on the condition that Jesus' words abide in us. This abiding transforms our desires and aligns our prayers with God's will, rather than our own wishes. [03:01]
2. Prayer and God's Sovereignty: Our prayers are part of God's sovereign plan. While we are called to pray for the salvation of others, it is ultimately God who decides who will be saved. Our role is to faithfully pray and trust in His wisdom. [04:57]
3. Jesus' Example in Prayer: Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane exemplifies submission to God's will. Even in His deepest desires, He sought alignment with the Father's plan, teaching us to do the same in our prayers. [07:02]
4. Scriptural Context of Prayer: The promise in John 15:7 must be understood in the context of the entire Bible. Other passages, like 1 John 5:14, emphasize praying according to God's will, reminding us that our prayers are not the ultimate authority. [08:45]
5. Expect and Submit: We are encouraged to expect great things from God and attempt great things for Him, while submitting everything to His sovereign will. Our prayers are significant, but God determines the outcomes in His perfect wisdom. [10:24]
** [10:24]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:07] - Introduction to the Topic
[00:20] - Listener's Question
[00:33] - The Promise of John 15:7
[01:07] - Misunderstandings of the Promise
[01:50] - The Condition of Abiding
[03:01] - Words of Jesus Shaping Prayer
[04:18] - God's Sovereignty in Salvation
[05:29] - Prayer and Fruit Bearing
[06:22] - Jesus' Example in Gethsemane
[07:42] - Scriptural Context of Prayer
[08:45] - Praying According to God's Will
[10:24] - Expect and Submit
[11:07] - Conclusion and Resources
[11:18] - Conversation with Eric

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

John 15:7 - "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
1 John 5:14 - "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
Romans 10:1 - "Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved."

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Observation Questions:

What is the condition Jesus sets in John 15:7 for the promise of answered prayer? How does this condition affect the way we understand the promise? [03:01]
How does Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, as mentioned in the sermon, illustrate the concept of aligning our will with God's will? [07:02]
According to the sermon, what role does God's sovereignty play in the context of our prayers for the salvation of others? [04:57]
How does the sermon explain the relationship between abiding in Jesus' words and the shaping of our prayer life? [03:18]

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Interpretation Questions:

In what ways does the condition of Jesus' words abiding in us transform our desires and align our prayers with God's will? How might this change our approach to prayer? [03:01]
How does the example of Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane challenge our understanding of what it means to submit our desires to God's sovereign plan? [07:02]
What does the sermon suggest about the balance between expecting great things from God and submitting to His sovereign will? How can this balance be practically applied in our prayer life? [10:24]
How does the broader scriptural context, such as 1 John 5:14, inform our understanding of the promise in John 15:7? What implications does this have for how we pray? [08:45]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a recent prayer request you made. How might the condition of Jesus' words abiding in you have changed the way you prayed? What steps can you take to ensure your prayers align with God's will? [03:01]
Consider a situation where you struggled to submit your desires to God's will. How can Jesus' example in Gethsemane guide you in similar situations in the future? [07:02]
Identify an area in your life where you need to trust in God's sovereignty. How can you actively submit this area to Him in prayer, while still expecting great things from Him? [10:24]
Think about someone you are praying for to come to faith. How does understanding God's sovereignty in salvation affect your prayers for them? How can you remain faithful in prayer despite not seeing immediate results? [04:57]
How can you incorporate the practice of abiding in Jesus' words into your daily routine? What specific actions can you take to immerse yourself more deeply in Scripture? [03:18]
Reflect on a time when you felt your prayers were not answered. How can the insights from this sermon help you reframe your understanding of unanswered prayers? [10:54]
What practical steps can you take to ensure that your prayers are not just about personal wishes but are aligned with God's redemptive plan? [05:50]

Sermon Clips

My guess is that Christians who blow off such promises like ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you, those who blow that off have an uneasy conscience that they're not really taking Jesus seriously. Something's amiss and my guess is that those who build their whole approach to prayer and life around that promise as if any failure to get what we wish is owing to a failure of obedience on our part also have an uneasy conscience that they really are taking seriously other parts of the Bible that calls such a view into question. [00:01:03]

I don't want to treat Jesus' words as though they were not a radical call to go beyond where we presently are in our experience of prayer. I want to get closer into the heart of Christ than I've ever been, and I don't want to treat the totality of Scripture, not just that verse but the totality of Scripture, as though this were the only verse, and if you like it, well, a handful of verses like that, which inform the way I think about answers to prayer. [00:02:10]

The big condition is do Jesus' words abide in you? What words in particular of Jesus by abiding in us would shape our prayer life, how we pray and what we expect when we pray? What's he talking about? What do you mean, your words abide in us and thus become the condition of the answer to this prayer? [00:03:01]

According to the words of Jesus that are to abide in us and become the shaping and the governing of our praying, according to the words of Jesus, God the Father has chosen a people for himself. They belong to him before they come to Jesus, then he sovereignly gives them to Jesus. John 6:44, nobody comes to me unless it is given to him from the Father. [00:04:18]

We are called to go and bear fruit in evangelism. That's the context in John 15. And we're to do it by prayer. Prayer has to do with fruit bearing in John 15:7. But now we know that the words of Jesus abiding in us inform us and shape us so that we do not pretend to be God as though we can dictate by our wishes who will be saved and who will not be saved. [00:05:17]

This seemingly unqualified promise is not unqualified because it says if Jesus' words abide in you, then they will govern how you formulate your wishes as to who will come to God in prayer through prayer. In Gethsemane, Jesus, because God's word was abiding in him, Jesus formulated his prayers like this: if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. [00:06:26]

God's words were abiding in Jesus. He knew from the Father that God had a sovereign plan, and so he submitted his will to God's will in his praying. That's what happens when the word of Jesus abides in us. It governs our thinking about praying and it keeps us from thinking that we are God and have the final say about how to run the universe by our wishes or determining who will be ultimately saved by our wishes. [00:07:06]

Paul's prayers for his kinsmen in Romans 10:1, he wished he said that his kinsmen would be saved. He'd be willing to lay down his eternal life for them in Romans 9:2 and then says in 10:1 he prays for them that they would be saved even though most of them are in fact not saved and not going to be saved because he says a hardness has come upon the people of Israel until the full number of the Gentiles come in. [00:08:00]

If you ask anything according to his will, he hears us and we have our requests from him. God's sovereign will shapes how we pray or consider the ministry of Jesus and how few people he raised from the dead, three, and now we are going to read again and again how many he healed but he didn't heal all, did he not want people to be raised from the dead? [00:08:31]

Expect great things from God and attempt great things for God and submit everything to God. Keep on asking, keep on trusting that he is at work doing great things, good things for you and in this world whether you can see it fully or not and that is owing significantly to your praying. [00:10:16]

God does aim to move mountains for you but he will move the mountains he once moved. [00:10:58]

Unanswered prayers are invitations from God. [00:11:14]

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Aligning Prayer with God's Will: The Promise of John 15:7

Devotional

Day 1: Abiding in Christ's Words Transforms Desires

Day 2: Prayer as Participation in God's Sovereignty

Day 3: Jesus' Example of Submission in Prayer

Day 4: Understanding Prayer in the Context of Scripture

Day 5: Expecting Great Things While Submitting to God's Will

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Aligning Prayer with God's Will: The Promise of John 15:7

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