Truly, Truly, I Say to You
On the appointed day and time Jesus will come back to earth to take us with Him; our hearts will rejoice, and by then no one will take our joy from us. This is the hope that we have in Christ our Lord. Additionally, everything of God’s glory will be revealed to us because the Lord desires to show us His fullness that we may enjoy everything of Him.
“Truly, truly, I say to you…” for me this statement highlights the One speaking. Jesus yearns to assure us that the Speaker Himself is worthy of His word. The question is, do we know who is the One speaking? I believe in my heart that recognizing who He is can change the course of everything. For instance, when a stranger promised me something, no matter how grandiose it was, it won’t definitely make any sense to me. Why? It is simply because knowing the person makes the promise worth believing and claiming. Now, let me ask, “Who is the One speaking?”
To be candid, there were a lot of times when I found myself just passing through the written pages. Yes, there are undeniable promises to claim, but then because I missed the Person speaking, I missed everything. I viewed the statements as good to read and good to know - that’s it. As a result, I was actually choosing to be on the losing side because the very foundation of my reading was negated by my misleading perception of the Word. This happened more often when my prayers were not answered based on my time table. You got me there when I said, “... on my time table.” It just plainly showed that I have got a lot of getting to know moments with Him. It's a guarantee that He knows the time for everything. And His promises are worth relishing on His time and on His way. He is the One speaking.
All of us know for certain that the validity, reliability, and credibility of a statement are based on who the Person is. Humbled before God, admitting how limited my vision is, made me alter the way I perceive the Word - The Person in the Word.
Let me continue. “I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” Upon listening or reading this promise, I would say that it painted great delight on our faces, right? Let me put forward a couple of questions.
Do you ask? If no, it’s about time to ask. If yes, what do you ask for?
Is it what you should be asking for?
In whose name you are asking?
Do you trust Him to give what you are asking? If yes, why? If no, why not?
When I was younger I rarely asked for something from my dad because I was trained to work for what I needed especially when I got to high school and university. Because of this mindset, it was ingrained in me that I could work it out without asking. Let’s get real, the question is, why didn't I ask? I would say, I underestimated my dad's ability to give, or why did I need to ask if I could do it my way. Didn’t I tell you let’s get real? Simply put - PRIDE. The reason for my dad’s ability is an incorrect premise so is the training of working it out on my way. The acceptance of this truth is a bitter pill to swallow. And so, it was then challenging for me to ask God for everything I needed without me thinking that I could do this or that to meet my needs. I was cut in my heart that my prayers were just words of mouth - powerless and ineffective because, over time, I missed the hand of my loving and gracious Abba Father. I looked at myself in the mirror and said, “You little creature, stop striving and start thriving in the arms of your Abba Father.” Humbled, I repented and continually asked God for me to focus on Him and Him alone. Remember, “Apart from You I have no good thing.”
The next question is, is it what you should be asking for? Sometimes we do ask so many things that do not align with what we are supposed to be asking for. Do you know what I mean? We even wondered why our waiting was prolonged and we insisted it was the best for us. Reflect for a bit. “... in my Name.” means He is the One connecting us to the Father, but it does not mean that we can just ask whatever we want. I am certain that what He desires is for us to get into His heart that whatever we ask for to the Father is what His heartbeat in every prayer we utter. In that way, the last statement, “He will give it to you.” will follow. Just a reminder, our God is not a genie in a lamp. I believe in my heart that He will accomplish His promises as He said. He is a man of His word, but the prepared heart of His beloved matters the most before the granted prayers. This is love - love unconditional. Sometimes unappreciated, but when we look back, we'll say with a joyful heart. “Thank God, prayers were granted at the right time and on His way for my advantage.”
To end, may this verse speak to our soul. May this be a hope for everyone in our present state and for the coming ages. Yes, it is the assurance that we have hope in Christ our Lord.
“On that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” John 16:23