Ask whatever you wish - really?
Can Jesus really mean what he says in John 15:7? His promise is breathtaking: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Ask whatever we wish? How is this possible when so many of our prayers seem to go unanswered? Is this promise only for super-saints? No. The only saints Jesus chooses are those who are weak and foolish (1 Cor. 1:26). They are disciples whose faith begins small (Matt. 14:31). They are people just like us. So this promise is for us. It is a check Jesus wants us to cash at the Bank of Heaven, where there are more than sufficient funds (2 Cor. 9:8). But there are two conditions we must meet for this check to be valid. The first is that we must abide in Jesus (John 15:1–6). Jesus commands us to abide in him just as branches abide in a vine. Apart from him, we can do nothing but wither (vv. 5–6). An abiding branch has the sap of the Holy Spirit running through it. The more connected the branch, the more it re...