For Christ did not say: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you, providing my Father and I feel that you are worthy.
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you
Darren you answered your question right there. If you are of Christ and Chist is in you, then your prayers will be such that they will be answered. If that is not the case, then you can pray and have all the faith you can muster and if it is not God's will, it ain't going to happen. Very few times are any of us, of Christ and Christ in us. We strive for this and labor under the yoke of our carnal being, but our flesh, is too often the case, not one with Christ.
but I expect this only if it is according to your will
Isn't this what Christ prayed in the Garden, not my will but the Fathers will? Obviously Christ was at His weakest in the human flesh and he did not want to die the horrible death He did, could the Father have answered the prayer to let the cup pass from Him? Yes, did he? No. Because in this moment of weakness Christ knew that the Fathers will would be done.
Ray's prayer article does a wonderful job (I believe) in explaining prayer.
Blessings
Craig
Craig, I see your point and I agree with you.
To your first point, if Christ is in us, then we will surely know what to pray for. I do not think that praying to win lotto is a prayer that should be asked, because the riches of God do not equate to the riches of man; however, praying for the riches of God is another matter.
Your second point is interesting. Yes, Jesus said, not as my will but the Fathers will be done. Jesus walked the Earth as a Man, he was 100% a man, no question about it; however, he was also a man like no other. He knew what was to happen eons before he came to Earth as a man. You are right, as a man he did not ewant to suffer the indignation, humility and pain and ultimately death! Why would he? He was a man, he felt everything, only he must have felt it more than he, because surely such as he endured was totally foreign to his perfect body. I cannot even imagine what Jesus knew was going to happen to him and how that must of made him feel. Did he not cry tears of blood?
The fact is, that Jesus came to Earth knowing that he would one day die and on the third day, his God would rise him from the tomb. He would not save himself, for he was a man and as a man, he died. The whole Bible is based on the coming of the Messiah, his life, his death and his second coming.
We however, do not have the luxury of knowing what will or will not happen. God has not told us. We are not one with God as Christ/Jesus is.
Craig, I agree with you that Christ knew that God's will would be done. Just as I know his will is always going to be done. Almost the entire Scriptures talk about Faith, but one cannot have Faith without belief.
Ephesians 1:15-23
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit* of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Paul keeps asking God that He may give of His Spirit. This is God's will. God does not need to hear the "if it is your will clause" because it is a given.
Belief is more than saying: "I believe!" Rather it is the living, the feeling, the visualization and the utter knowledge that God will truly grant us every prayer. Is faith such as this as much as a mustard seed, I say not in the least. But it is immeasurably greater than one who has faith but no belief.
Put another way, when a child asks a parent for something, they know and understand that their request will either be granted or denied on whether or not the parent wants. Praying to God is no different other than if we are truly in him and he in us, our prayers will always be answered because this is his will.
Jhn 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Craig, I just think we are trying to regulate or restrict our faith if we do not ask 100%, believe 100% and expect 100%
Because surely, if either of these three are less than 100% then likewise is our faith. This is God's will, that we learn this.
My heartfelt thoughts only, thanks for your comments.
Your brother in Christ,
Darren