That The Father My Be Glorified In The Son
John 14:13 Lexham English Bible
13 And whatever you ask in my name, I will do this, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Why does Jesus answer prayer? When we sit back and meditate on this it is pretty awesome to realize that the God who created all things and holds all things together by His mighty power would listen to us and not only listen to us, but He would also answer. Often, we may think if I could speak to someone in a position of authority I could see change happen. But as followers of Jesus, we have access to the ultimate person in authority. We have access to Jesus.
Because of Jesus we have access to the throne of grace. When we pray, we are able to go before the throne of Almighty God without fear and with full confidence. This physical world that we live in is not the only thing that exist. There is a spiritual realm that is far more real than we can comprehend. The moment we go into the place of prayer we are before the throne of God and our petitions before Him are being heard.
Now does this mean that Jesus is our personal genie. Because He is telling us whatever you ask in my name. So, does this mean whatever we desire we may ask and God will give it to us? I believe it is important to examine who Jesus was speaking to. He was talking to His disciples before He was about to go to the cross. He was speaking of things concerning His kingdom. When we truly begin to follow Christ and commit ourselves to be a disciple, there is something supernatural that takes place in our minds and hearts. Our desires align with the will of God and that which we are asking is in accordance with His will. If we ask according to His will, it is done.
When Jesus says in His name, it speaks of authority. The authority we have been given belongs to Jesus. It doesn’t inherently come from us. We can’t speak things into existence or create things. That belongs to God alone. But we can come alongside God in His purposes and plans and be used by God to see His will accomplished.
Jesus says in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son. The word glorified is the Greek word doxazō and it means to glorify, exalt, praise; to be/become exalted. Refers to praising someone for their high and exalted status, or to entering into a state of glory and exaltation. Now the question we have to ask when we are praying and asking God for anything is: is what I am asking glorifying, exalting, and will it bring praise unto Almighty God. In all that we do as disciples of Jesus we are called to glorify Him.
When we come to Christ our lives no longer belong to us. Our dreams and desires have been surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. If our prayers are simply from a place of selfishness, then we have failed to truly understand how and in what direction God is calling us to pray. Again, Jesus is about to go to the cross and leave all things in the hands of the disciples. He is not calling them to focus on praying for lots of cars, a big house, or the simple selfish pursuit of The American dream.
The more time we spend in God’s word and His presence, the more we are changed. The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we begin to see things as He does and the more our hearts and minds align with His. It is the mind of Christ being produced within us. It will revolutionize our prayer life and will lead us to pray things that impact the very course of history and glorify Him in all things.
Prayer
Father thank you for the honor to pray. Thank you for being able to spend time in your presence. Jesus thank you for your shed blood that has made forgiveness possible. Thank you for your unconditional love for me. Holy Spirit thank you for your leading. Lead me in the place of prayer. Father remove any desire that is not in accordance with your will. I pray that everything in my heart and mind would be surrendered to you. Lead me each day when I pray. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!
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