WHATSOEVER YE WILL
If Ye Abide in Me, and My Words Abide in You, Ask Whatsoever
Ye Will, and it Shall be Done Unto You--John 15:7
The Whole place of the branch in
the vine is one of unceasing prayer. Without intermission it is
ever calling: "O my vine, send the sap I need to bear Thy
fruit." And its prayers are never unanswered: it asks what
it needs, what it will, and it is done.
The healthy life of the believer
in Christ is equally one of unceasing prayer. Consciously or unconsciously,
he lives in continual dependence. The Word of his Lord, "You
can do nothing," has taught him that not more unbroken than
the continuance of the branch in the vine, must be his asking
and receiving. The promise of our text gives us infinite boldness:
"Ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
The promise is given in direct connection
with fruit-bearing. Limit it to yourself and your own needs, and
you rob it of its power; you rob yourself of the power of appropriating
it. Christ was sending these disciples out, and they were ready
to give their life for the world; to them He gave the disposal
of the treasures of Heaven. Their prayers would bring the Spirit
and the power they needed for their work.
The promise is given in direct connection
with the coming of the Spirit. The Spirit is not mentioned in
the parable, just as little as the sap of the vine is mentioned.
But both are meant all through. In the chapter preceding the parable,
our Lord had spoken of the Holy Spirit, in connection with their
inner life, being in them, and revealing Himself within them (14:15-23).
In the next chapter He speaks of the Holy Spirit in connection
with their work, coming to them, convincing the world, and glorifying
Him (16:7-14). To avail ourselves of the unlimited prayer promises,
we must be men who are filled with the Spirit, and wholly given
up to the work and glory of Jesus. The Spirit will lead us into
the truth of its meaning and the certainty of its fulfillment.
Let us realize that we can only
fulfill our calling to bear much fruit, by praying much. In Christ
are hid all the treasures men around us need; in Him all God's
children are blessed with all spiritual blessings; He is full
of grace and truth. But it needs prayer, much prayer, strong believing
prayer, to bring these blessings down. And let us equally remember
that we cannot appropriate the promise without a life given up
for men. Many try to take the promise, and then look round for
what they can ask. This is not the way; but the very opposite.
Get the heart burdened with the need of souls, and the command
to save them, and the power will come to claim the promise.
Let us claim it as one of the revelations
of our wonderful life in the Vine: He tells us that if we ask
in His name, in virtue of our union with Him, whatsoever it be,
it will be done to us. Souls are perishing because there is too
little prayer. God's children are feeble because there is too
little prayer. We bear so little fruit because there is so little
prayer. The faith of this promise would make us strong to pray;
let us not rest till it has entered into our very heart, and drawn
us in the power of Christ to continue and labor and strive in
prayer until the blessing comes in power. To be a branch means
not only bearing fruit on earth, but power in prayer to bring
down blessing from Heaven. Abiding fully means praying much.
Ask what ye will. O my Lord,
why is it that our hearts are so little able to accept these words
in their divine simplicity? Oh, give me to see that we need nothing
less than this promise to overcome the powers of the world and
Satan! Teach us to pray in the faith of this Thy promise.
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