“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in My name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it!” (John 14:12-14 NLT)
Nobody prayed more in line with God’s will than Jesus. He knew better than anyone how to get things accomplished that pleased His Father. His miraculous feats weren’t to render glory to Himself, but to reveal to the world the God behind the miracles.
The verse above that urges us to ask for anything in His name is prefaced by the unbelievable claim that we can do “even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” What does that mean? Jesus is the embodiment of all Truth; therefore, He is incapable of telling a lie. That means that what He said is exactly what He meant.
Think about it. Jesus lived for only 33 years. I’m soon to turn 77. Shouldn’t my prayers render more glory to the Father with 44 extra years? “Yeh, but what about all the miracles He performed? Where are YOUR miracles?” That’s a great question, but it misses the point. Miracles reveal who God the Father is so people who see them can have a clearer picture of Him.
The miracle of new birth in Jesus and the resultant transformation that can only come from the Spirit’s activity is the greatest miracle known to man. Jesus explained that in Matthew 19. To think Jesus’ invitation is for us to have God lavish wealth and possessions on us isn’t only wrong, it’s blasphemous.
If that’s disappointing to you, you may not be a Jesus follower. Why would I say that? Because a Jesus follower’s heart beats with desire to please Jesus, and the single most important way to accomplish that is to bring glory to His Father. If your heart’s desire is a better job, a vacation home, a new car, or anything else material that will make your life easier, you’ve probably missed the point of prayer.
And please don’t hear what I’m not saying. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with wanting any of those things, but when you’re pounding heaven’s door wanting the Lord to provide you with money to buy a new car when all you can afford is a used car, who’s wanting to receive glory? YOU, but God the Father likely won’t receive any glory! There’s nothing wrong with praying for necessities, which, of course, a car may be, but the point isn’t that for which we pray, it’s ultimately who will get the glory?
Let’s pick this up in tomorrow’s post.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 