2004-08-21 - Successful Praying

Encore 1999-10-16

Jesus Christ gave us the key to successful praying, embedded in one verse of Scripture.

John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

In this one sentence, Jesus placed the riches of Heaven at the disposal of His followers. The Golden key that unlocks this door is "abide." Well now...What does it mean to abide in Christ, you might ask? Since Scripture does the best job of explaining Scripture, let us look to it for our answer.

I John 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither knoweth him.

I John 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.

John 15:5b I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me, ye can do nothing.

I John 4:12a-13 No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

I John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.

John 8: 31-32 Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, "If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

I John 2:24 As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father.

2 John 9 Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son.

We do not know who wrote this quote, but we think it shows where we are coming from "The tree of promise will not drop its fruit unless shaken by the hand of prayer". And by experience, we have learned this truth: let us take care that we shake the tree of promise -- and not the tree of our own desires. Once Rick had the occasion to be given a lecture saying that if he put a certain amount before God (in prayer), He would get tenfold (at least) back. The lecture ended abruptly when he made this comment "... sounds like God is a slot machine that you put one in and get ten back."

There are plenty of hokey formulas tied to man's desires. Beware - 'Nuff said? - Nothing else will make prayer effective, except the presentation to God of His own promises, desiring Him to work that in us and for us, which He has promised His own. If the promises of God are "abiding" in us, we will have many things to pray about, and we will pray aright, for prayer like that will be according to the words of the Lord Jesus. We hope your prayer is a bubbling spring overflowing with acceptable supplication.

In His Service,
Rick and Sandy (Retired)

http://www.cfdevotionals.org