Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
John 16:24 ESV
Do you want to be happy? Do you want to be really happy? How do you get really happy? Jesus says we get really happy when we pray. In His wonderful world, prayer is what He has designed to bring you not just joy, but the fullness of joy!
Have you not asked God for anything? Are you trying to satisfy your needs without Him? Are you depending upon people, your job, your family, the government, the church, or yourself to meet your needs. Jesus understands that there are those of us who never depend upon God nor ask Him for anything. "Until now you have asked nothing in my name..." By implication, that attitude and prayerless posture will never bring real joy to our lives.
To those who have never asked God for anything. To those who come to Him only as a last resort. Jesus says: ASK, ASK! What will happen when we ask? Jesus says, "And you will receive" Why? Because Jesus says that in coming to Him as a needy person and depending upon Him for everything you need your joy will be fuller than if you tried to get that need met another way! If someone or something else or if I myself meet my need I may have joy; but if Jesus provides that need I will have the fullness of joy! Think about this, our needs are met and our joy is increased when we are needy and totally without resources in ourselves and the world. He wants us happy in Him. The way we get it is to ASK.
John Piper calls this the classic Christian Hedonist text. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” That your joy may be full. He says,
"God did not create prayer to make us unhappy. He created it so that when we convey our hearts to God the Father in the name of God the Son, God the Spirit moves with a fullness of joy that we would not otherwise know. If your joy in God is small, this may be part of the reason."
Pray . . . that your joy may be full.
Pursue the fullness of your joy! PRAY! From Jesus Christ's word we can draw out a simple rule: Prayerlessness always produces joylessness. Prayerfulness always produces extreme and full joyfulness. Pray . . . that your joy may be full.
Going hard on my knees for supreme joy,
Pastor Bill
1 comment:
THIS is soooo true, i'm experiencing ALOT of joylessness now, it seems my prayers are so back-logged i dont even know where to start...thanks for showing us THE KnEES are a good place.
-D
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