Day 22: The Word and the Prayer

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” (John 15:7NIV)

To have a relationship, we have to communicate. And to communicate we have to interact with one another. And to bring the relationship much deeper we have to be personal, face to face, and heart to heart in our conversation. (P.s: That’s why after Facebook’ing with each other it is good if we can meet one another to strengthen the relationship) Thus, prayer is the fulfillment of all the above. It is not a monologue but dialogue. It is a two-way communication – both ought to speak and both need to hear.

Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” His Word is essential in our prayer life. Hey people, how can we utter a prayer that pleases God to fulfilled if we don’t read His Word? How can we know the will of God if we don’t know His will that are openly revealed in His Word? “…my words remain in you”, it is impossible to pray correctly apart from knowing and believing the teaching of Christ in His Word.

To this, I’m not referring to external study and gain knowledge of the Word though it is fairly important for us as a Christian but a reading of the Word in every presence of the Father and under the leading of the Spirit, in which the Word comes to us in living power from God Himself. ‘I pray – I speak to my Father. I read – my Father speaks to me’.

Previously, Jesus said, “If a man remains in me and I in him…” (John 15:5) then 2 verses later he said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you…” (15:7); therefore, the remaining or the abiding of His words is equivalent to the abiding of Christ Himself. To read and thus to listen to His words is very important in the work of our prayer. For to pray that “ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” require us to know His love and His life, His will and His power. Andrew Murray explain it well, “God’s Word gives us God Himself. That Word is nothing less than the Eternal Son, Christ Jesus… all of Christ’s words are God’s words, full of Divine, quickening life and power.”

Do you know that the loss of hearing is followed by a loss of speaking? When someone had loss their sense of hearing they had the difficulties to utter words to speak. They can’t hear themselves, they couldn’t pronoun words properly and over a long period – they lose the ability to speak. This is also true in our conversation with God. Our prayers are depends entirely on our hearing the voice of God in His words. The more we hear His voice, the more we are able to speak; the more we read His words, the more we are able to pray effectively. ‘I pray – I speak to my Father. I read – my Father speaks to me’.

Abide in Christ is to have a personal walk with Him. Abide in His words is to have a personal conversation with Him. Experience these for yourself and you’ll see that His promise will come true: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

Prayer:

Father, teach us to pray. Let Your Word change us from the inside out from the way we pray to the way we walk in our life. Give us ears to hear your voice in the Living Word of God. Help us to see that whenever we pray – you hear and whenever we read – You speak to us. Amen.

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