DAY 8: ASK WHATEVER YOU WISH
by Pastor Heiden Ratner
Jan. 13th, 2025
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” – John 15:7
DEVOTION
Prayer and the Word are two key ingredients that can deepen your relationship with Jesus. In John 15:7, Jesus teaches about the connection between His Word and our abiding in Him, as well as how this abiding transforms our prayer life.
At its core, prayer is simply talking with God, while He speaks to us through His Word. I once heard a pastor from Florida, H.B. Charles, illustrate the significance of prayer and the Word by comparing them to the two wings of an airplane. He asked which wing was more critical to flight. The answer is both! Just as an airplane needs both wings to take off and reach its destination, we need both prayer and the Word to abide in Christ.
Jesus reminds His disciples that a natural outcome of abiding in Him is spending time in His Word. He says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you…” (John 15:7a), suggesting that abiding in the Word is a natural expression of remaining in Him. After all, He is “the Word made flesh” (John 1:14a).
However, there’s a transition in Jesus’ message as He invites His disciples to pray, stating they can ask for whatever they wish, and it would be done for them. This makes me think that Jesus understood that when His disciples abide in His Word and He abides in them, their desires would shift from their own to His. He knew that as long as the branch remained connected to the vine, it would desire the same things as the vine, and He would gladly fulfill those requests.
Today, take time to reflect on your relationship with prayer and the Word. Commit to deepening your practice in these two areas, trusting that the Lord loves to hear our prayers and delights in answering them.
PRAYER
Father, thank You for Your life-giving words and for how You transform my mind and heart through abiding in Your Word. Forgive me for the dry seasons when I struggle to read and listen. Please continue to renew my time spent with You in Your Word. Transform my desires, and I pray that my requests will perfectly align with Your will. In Jesus’ name, amen!
NEXT STEP
Commit to memorizing John 15:7 and make it a daily practice to read the corresponding Proverbs for each day of the month, starting today.
2 Comments
Comments are closed.
Alicia
I have been wanting to get into the word thank you
Acamy
I’ve been wanting to memorize more Scripture this year, and now I know exactly where to start!! Thanks!