Amazing Promises Jesus Made
The majority of Christian men and women who pray to a Living God know very little about real prevailing prayer? Yet prayer is the key which unlocks the door of God’s treasure-house. It is not too much to say that all real growth in the spiritual life-all victory over temptation, all confidence and peace in the presence of difficulties and dangers, all repose of spirit in times of great disappointment or loss, all habitual communion with God-depend upon the practice of secret prayer.
Key to Spiritual Growth
When we stand with Christ in glory, looking o’er life’s finished story,” the most amazing feature of that life as it is looked back upon will be its prayerlessness.
We shall be almost beside ourselves with astonishment that we spent so little time in real intercession. It will be our turn to “wonder.”
In our Lord’s last discourse to His loved ones, just before the most wonderful of all prayers, the Master again and again held out His kingly golden sceptre and said, as it were, “What is your request? It shall be granted unto you, even unto the whole of My kingdom!”
Do We Believe This?
We must do so if we believe our Bibles. Shall we just read over very quietly and thoughtfully one of our Lord’s promises, reiterated so many times? If we had never read them before, we should open our eyes in bewilderment, for these promises are almost incredible. From the lips of any mere man they would be quite unbelievable. But it is the Lord of heaven and earth Who speaks; and He is speaking at the most solemn moment of His life. It is the eve of His death and passion. It is a farewell message. Now listen!
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 the Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, that will I do” (John 14:13,14).
Could Any Words be Plainer or Clearer than These?
Could any promise be greater or grander? Has anyone else, anywhere, at any time, ever offered so much?
How staggered those disciples must have been! Surely they could scarcely believe their own ears. But that promise is made also to you and to me.
And, lest there should be any mistake on their part, or on ours, our Lord repeats Himself a few moments afterwards. Yes, and the Holy Spirit bids St. John record those words again.
“If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bare much fruit; and so shall ye be My disciples” (John 15:7,8).
These words are of such grave importance, and so momentous, that the Savior of the world is not content even with a threefold utterance of them. He urges His disciples to obey His command “to ask.” In fact, He tells them that one sign of their being His “friends” will be the obedience to His commands in all things (verse 14). Then He once more repeats His wishes:
Ye did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask the Father, in My name, He may give it you” (John 15:16).
One would think that our Lord had now made it plain enough that He wanted them to pray; that He needed their prayers, and that without prayer they could accomplish nothing. But to our intense surprise He returns again to the same subject, saying very much the same words.
In that day ye shall ask Me nothing” — i.e., “ask Me no question” (R.V., marg.) — “Verily, verily I say unto you, if ye ask anything of the Father, He will give it you in My name. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be fulfilled” (John 16:23,24).
Never Before Had Our Lord Laid Such Stress on Any Promise or Command — Never!
This truly marvelous promise is given us six times over. Six times, almost in the same breath, our Savior commands us to ask whatsoever we will. This is the greatest — the most wonderful — promise ever made to man. Yet most men — Christian men — practically ignore it! Is it not so?
The exceeding greatness of the promise seems to over-whelm us. Yet we know that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph. 3:20).
So our blessed Master gives the final exhortation, before He is seized, and bound, and scourged, before His gracious lips are silenced on the cross, “Ye shall ask in My name . . . for the Father Himself loveth you” (verse 26). We have often spent much time in reflecting upon our Lord’s seven words from the cross. And it is well we should do so. Have we ever spent one hour in meditating upon this, our Savior’s sevenfold invitation to pray?
Today He sits on the throne of His Majesty on high, and He holds out to us the sceptre of His power. Shall we touch it and tell Him our desires? He bids us take of His treasures. He yearns to grant us “according to the riches of His glory,” that we may “be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.” He tells us that our strength and our fruitfulness depend upon our prayers. He reminds us that our very joy depends upon answered prayer (John 16:24).
And yet we allow the devil to persuade us to neglect prayer! He makes us believe that we can do more by our own efforts than by our prayers — by our intercourse with men than by our intercession with God. It passes one’s comprehension that so little heed should be given to our Lord’s sevenfold invitation — command — promise! How dare we work for Christ without being much on our knees? Quite recently an earnest Christian “worker” — a Sunday-school teacher and communicant — wrote me, saying, “I have never had an answer to prayer in all my life.”
But why? Is God a liar? Is not God trustworthy? Do His promises count for nought. Does He not mean what He says? And doubtless there are many reading these words who in their hearts are saying the same thing as that Christian worker. Payson is right — is Scriptural — when he says: “If we would do much for God, we must ask much of God: we must be men of prayer.” If our prayers are not answered — always answered, but not necessarily granted — the fault must be entirely in ourselves, and not in God. God delights to answer prayer; and He has given us His word that He will answer.
Fellow-laborers in His vineyard, it is quite evident that our Master desires us to ask, and to ask much. He tells us we glorify God by doing so! Nothing is beyond the scope of prayer which is not beyond the will of God — and we do not desire to go beyond His will.
We dare not say that our Lord’s words are not true. Yet somehow or other few Christians really seem to believe them. What holds us back? What seals our lips? What keeps us from making much of prayer?
Do We Doubt His Love?
Do we doubt His love? Never! He gave His life for us and to us. Do we doubt the Father’s love? Nay. “The Father Himself loveth you,” said Christ when urging His disciples to pray.
Do We Doubt His Power?
Do we doubt His power? Not for a moment. Hath He not said, “All power hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth. Go ye . . . and lo, I am with you alway . . .” (Matt. 28:18-20).
Do We Doubt His Wisdom?
Do we doubt His wisdom? Do we mistrust His choice for us? Not for a moment. And yet so very few of His followers consider prayer really worth while. Of course, they would deny this — but actions speak louder than words. Are we afraid to put God to the test? He has said we may do so. “Bring Me the whole tithe into the storehouse . . . and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10).
Whenever God makes us a promise, let us boldly say, as did St. Paul, I believe God (Acts 27:25), and trust Him to keep His word…
I am quite certain of this fact: God wants me to pray: wants you to pray. The question is, are we willing to pray?
Gracious Savior, pour out upon us the fullness of the Holy Spirit, that we may indeed become Kneeling Christians.
To God your every want
In instant prayer display.
Pray always; pray and never faint:
Pray! Without ceasing, pray.
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The above is an excerpt from the classic The Kneeling Christian. My Grandmother gave me this book when I was a teenager. It changed my life. I was amazed at what the Bible said about prayer. I remember going to church bubbling to everyone, Do you know how many times Jesus promises to answer our prayers? He repeats His promises over and over!”
The Kneeling Christian is now available FREE online!
Read it aloud with your children.
