SCRIPTURE READING
John 14:13-14 (NIV); And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may
bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
God comprehends all things, and is thus incomprehensible. He is partial in the revelation of
His character to us, yet absolutely whole in Himself. The world is unaware of Him, yet He
is completely aware of it. What a wonderful mystery He is! And this fantastic power makes
Jesus’ words in John 14 come alive!
As we’ve learned over the past few weeks, merely declaring something “in the name of
Jesus” does not mean it is truly spoken in His name and in line with His will. But when we
are walking with Him and listening to His voice and obeying his word, we will come in line
with His will. And when we pray on the same page as Him, things will advance!
Some people treat God as an elusive director, thinking that He tends to give things a push
start and a little tweak here and there and then steps back into the shadows. But God is
hands-on and even wants to help us to listen and pray in line with His will. He doesn’t want
us to come trudging up to Him and say, “God help me to like my job” or “help me to be
nicer” or “teach me to love my spouse”. Just as God wants to give us strategies through
prayer, He wants to give us strategies as to how to pray! He wants to help us to clarify our
requests, and hone them into the core of what we are truly asking for. He knows our hearts
and our needs better than we do, and He wants to help us to understand those things too.
As we do, we will pray more in line with His will and when we ask for His will in His name,
great things will happen!
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. Write down three major prayer requests, and deep needs of your heart.
2. Now flesh these things out. Write out each request in detail. What exactly are you asking
God to do?
3. Now, in listening prayer, go through each request. Ask God to help you craft a prayer that
is in line with His will. Ask Him to show you His desires, and where your own need to be
tweaked. Then pray these things. Frequently return to these prayers and ask God how He
wants to prune them even more.
