John 16:23–30
[Jesus said:] “In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
“I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
His disciples said, “Ah, now You are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that You know all things and do not need anyone to question You; this is why we believe that You came from God.” (ESV)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your promises to us are sure and certain. Therefore we take You at Your Word and bring all our requests and needs before You in prayer in the confidence that You will hear and answer them. … On this basis may our prayers be always pleasing and acceptable to You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our Father Hears
I. It was not always this way.
II. What this means for us.
In Christ Jesus, the Mediator between God and man, dear fellow redeemed!
I once visited with a woman who served as a telephone operator in the 1950s. Believe it or not, there was a time when you couldn’t just pick up your phone and go to your contacts or dial a number and call someone. You would dial the operator who would connect you to the person you wanted to call. On one occasion, this woman connected a call between a person in her community and the white house! The caller was an important businessman, and he had a connection to the president. It’s pretty amazing to think of someone being able to call someone like the president either to ask for help or give counsel. The president is the most influential and powerful person in the United States. While it’s nice to be able to talk to anyone, it is especially helpful to be able to talk to someone who has the ability to make real change and help you.
Wouldn’t it be convenient to have a direct line to a person in powerful position like the president? Actually, we have something much, much better. We have a direct line to God the Father, maker of heaven and earth, who “removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21). We have access to the one who gives and takes away power to earthly rulers. We have access to the one whose kingdom will never end. We have a connection to the one who has the power to create and make change by simply speaking! Think how great Jesus’ words truly are: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
This is truly amazing! But it wasn’t always this way. In Genesis, we learn that the Lord was present with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He spoke to them and they spoke to him freely. But the fall into sin changed everything. Not only were Adam and Eve cast out from the Garden of Eden, but their sin now separated them from God. They were outside of God’s covenant. They were afraid of God and ashamed to approach him. God is holy and righteous. Adam and Eve were now unholy and sinful. Like lepers who were cast out from society, sinners are cast out from the presence of God. The Prophet Isaiah explains, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).
By nature, we are sinners who are enemies of God. Beyond this, we have broken God’s law in thoughts, words, and actions. Have you not loved God perfectly and at all times with your heart, soul, strength, and mind? Have you gotten angry with someone, lied, stolen, coveted, or dishonored authorities? Scripture states, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (James 2:10). What right do you have to pray to the God you have sinned against? What right do you have to expect him to give you eternal life?
On our own, we had and have no right. We were on our way to hell. This is why we ought to give thanks to our Savior every day of our life! Because by his holy life and innocent suffering and death, Jesus has reconciled us to God the Father. The barrier that was between us was ripped asunder by his death on the cross! Through faith in Jesus, you have been given the right to become children of God! This is wonderful! John writes, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
Sometimes I hear Christians speak as if they are unsure God will listen to their prayers—as if they were unworthy to speak with him. I understand this, because we are all unworthy. But because of Christ and what he did for you, you are worthy. You have been given this privilege—a direct line to God our Father. God truly loves you as his child. Earthly parents want their children to come to them. So how much more so does God our heavenly Father?! This is the point Jesus is trying to drive home to us when he says, “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.” The Father loves you. He wants to hear your prayers.
Jesus said, “In that day.” Here, Jesus is primarily speaking of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit’s guidance in the book of Acts, and the giving of the New Testament. Jesus said, “You will ask nothing of me.” Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, God’s people would need no further revelation after the New Testament was written. He would guide them in all truth. They would speak this truth to others so that they might learn of Jesus. The gift of languages at Pentecost wasn’t for further revelation, but for the preaching of the Gospel. This is a comfort for us. All that we need to know from God has been given to us in holy Scripture. Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” When we have a question about what God says we simply go to the Bible and search for the answer. We don’t need a special revelation from Jesus, we simply go to the Word he has given us.
The second and main point Jesus makes in our lesson is about prayer. Things we do need to ask about. In the original Greek, Jesus uses another word for “ask,” when he says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you.” In this verse and in verse 26, Jesus is referring to the requests for spiritual and physical gifts in the name of Jesus. To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray to our Father in heaven while trusting in Jesus our Savior.
Jesus says something interesting to us about prayer: “Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you.” Really? Whatever I want? Jesus does not lie. What he says, he means. The Father will give it to you. Now, you might be thinking, “There are a lot of things that I have prayed for that I did not receive. If Jesus says the Father will give what I ask, why have I not received it?” James actually tells us why, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3) Where is true joy to be found? Jesus says, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” True joy is not found in trying to please our body or pet our ego. True joy does not come from following the selfish desires of our sinful flesh. That’s not joy. Temporary pleasure is not joy. As the hymnist writes, “They prove to be burdens that vex us and chafe us and true lasting happiness never vouchsafe us.”
The reason God has not granted our request is because it may not align with God’s will and what he wants for you. God always answers our prayers. Sometimes he says yes, sometimes he says no, sometimes he says wait, and sometimes he has something better in store. When we pray for things that God promises, like forgiveness, mercy, and help, we know he will grant it because he promised to do so. But when it comes to things he hasn’t promised to give, we pray that he would grant it if it is according to his will—Thy will be done. And we can pray for all things, it doesn’t matter how big or small it is—from good health to good weather, to family peace or smooth sailing, from success at work to patience in trials—we pray for all things. Prayer for the Christian is like breath to the living. It comes naturally. It is a sign of life. We pray because we are Christians. We pray for all things because we need God’s help in all things. And we go to our heavenly Father with confidence, just as children ask their dear fathers. God loves to hear our prayer!
Jesus says, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” The joy that our Lord gives us comes through faith in him. It’s the joy we receive when we hear the preaching of the Gospel, where the forgiveness of sins is offered to you. A Christian’s greatest joy is knowing that you have received the forgiveness of all your sins for Jesus’ sake. You have God’s Word—his promise that “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” By faith in Christ, we also learn that you now have a gracious Father in heaven who loves you as his own dear child and who seeks to preserve you until he calls you to be with him in heaven. This joy cannot be taken away, even if everything around us gives way!
The joy that our Lord gives overflows to all our life, as the Psalmist says, “My cup runs over.” Even in this sinful world, God gives blessing upon blessing. He gives us the joy of knowing, that in both good days and bad, we can bring our cares and concerns to him. Although we will have difficult days, he also gives us many good days, as today, when we celebrate the gift of mothers. Think about how God blesses us through mothers who love, nurture, care for, and lead their children to Christ. The prophet Isaiah said, “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13). Just as God has given us the gift of mothers whom we can go to for comfort and counsel, so he has given us the great gift of prayer where we may bring our cares and concerns to him because our Father hears!
Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
(ELH 385:3)