How to Ask & Receive Everything You Ask For!

Have you ever asked for something from your parents when you were a kid and did not get it? Isn’t that a bummer? As a kid you just had it all figured out in your head that what you were asking for was a great thing and your motive had to be pure, but in the end you got shot down.

Well, in John 14:12-18 we find Jesus telling the audience that He will do whatever we ask in His name. Now, that is music to our ears isn’t it? This is what we have been waiting for…just ask in prayer, add “in the name of Jesus” to the end and wham-bam get ready to receive, right? Wrong! If this was the truth then the Scriptures would be no more than a book of magical phrases we need to memorize in order to get the mighty Genie out of the bottle to do our beckoning. The Scriptures tell us about how to ask properly and receive whatever we ask for, but it may not be how we think.

In this passage of Scripture we find three things evident for the life of a Believer to be true and powerful. We need to recognize that our activity is borrowed from Christ, our authority is on loan from Christ, and we even borrow His deity. The activity is that Christ works through us to accomplish His will…we are not doing the will of the Father, but Christ is working out this will through us in His power. By what authority do we set out to accomplish His work? The authority Christ has as a part of the Trinity, the Son of the living God, as God, as our Lord, and the savior of His lost sheep.

Borrowing Christ authority is where I want to camp out for a moment. We find a promise here in that whatever we ask for in the name of Jesus, He will do it. Wow! Could that be so broad with no strings attached? Could it be so simple? Well, there is a condition…”in My name”. We are to ask in the name of Christ. But what does that mean? Ray Stedman said “To pray in the name of Jesus has a very special significance that has become lost to many Christians over the years because of our tendency to practice Churchianity rather than Christianity”. He is right. We have too often placed “in Jesus name” at the end of our prayers with no more meaning than “Sincerely Yours”. This simply will not work.

To ask for something in Christ name means we are asking by His authority, based on His character, by the power He has given to us upon our acceptance of Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus has loaned out His authority to us to ask anything. What is this anything? Ray stated it well “We are to ask in the realm and scope of His work, His character, and His will”. Whatever Christ is wanting to accomplish here on this earth, He will do through His people. So, we must be in tune or aligned with our heavenly Father on a daily basis and understand what He is trying to accomplish on this earth is to further the kingdom of God for all eternity…which is to ultimately bring God glory. So, whatever we ask is NOT going to be for ourselves, our own selfish ambitions, our own accomplishment and desires…it is going to be whatever is furthering the kingdom of God and bringing Him greater glory which is for our greater good. “Ask” in that context and you will always receive it. Jesus’ promises are not void or empty, but many times our asking is hollow and prideful not getting any further out than our breath can go before falling to the ground below. Ask in genuine oneness with our sovereign God and your asking will not go out in vain. Jesus’ goal, to bring glory to the Father, which is accomplished through us by lending us His authority in the asking. This is how we can receive anything we ask for.

Scott Bailey (c) 2009