And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
In 1970 Janis Joplin released a song that indirectly satirized this verse. It also parodied consumerism. She sang…
“Oh Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz…”
I mention this because the words to the song capture the expectation some have based on this verse. The idea that God will provide things is both justified and unjustified. It depends on what the expectation is.
Is it unreasonable to pray for a car if one needs transportation? It sounds reasonable to me. Is it reasonable to pray for a certain kind of car because of the ego gratification and social status it imparts? Mmmm… not so much.
The thing about Jesus that is amazing to me is that he always does what his Father wants him to do. His number one desire (and number two, and three, and so on) is to please God. Whatever he asks for is going to be in line with what the Father wants him to ask for.
I think the expectation associated with today’s verse is similar. Jesus is talking to those who love Him and want what he wants. (Judas is no longer with the disciples at this point.) He also adds a conditional clause: “…so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” So what is going to glorify the Father through the Son?
Let’s Discuss: What do you see in this verse?
One qualifier is that we ask in His name. This implies it is for His glory and according to His will. Prayer is ultimately about our relationship with Him and living according to His plan.
Thanks Rich! Nicely said.
Rev. 4:11 tells us that we were created to please him…yet he wants the best for us. We must remember that the greatest reward for us is to serve him in humility. He lifts up the humble and brings down the proud. When we humbly ask for things in His name, our reward is great. Paul had an affliction that seemed obvious to me that God would want to remove from him, but that was not God’s will. The promise in sincere prayer is that His grace is sufficient for us. The Father’s grace is part of His glory.
JEC,
Well said! What God values is that we continually become the people he originally intended us to be. Sometimes that path includes discipline. Sometimes training. It can also include quality control testing! 🙂
I notice that We have direct access to God through prayer – we can pray to the Father, mediated by the Son and in his name, and interceded for by the Spirit.
Nathan,
Your comment makes me feel a bit uncomfortable with the direction of my meditation on this verse. You are absolutely right. By the work of Jesus on the cross we have been invited into the Holy of Holies where we can converse directly with the Father. In that perspective, whatever is on our heart is our Father’s concern.