If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7, NKJV
Just as there are certain physical laws which control the environment surrounding our earth, there are also certain spiritual laws which give definition to prayer. Each one of these laws is a statement or a promise with a condition attached to it, and each one (at least in the original Greek text) contains the word “if,” which indicates a condition, something which you must do or meet for God to hear and answer prayer.
Law #1: The law of relationship.
In the Upper Room Jesus taught the disciples, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7, NKJV). There are two parts to this great promise: Abiding in Christ and His Word abiding in you.
It is impossible to abide or to remain in Christ unless there is a relationship with God’s Son by faith. And all prayer is based on this relationship with the Father. The second part is His Word abiding in us, which gives us the direction we need for life.
Law #2: The law of authority.
Jesus said, “And whatever you shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14, NKJV). Notice what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t say, “If you ask anything in my mother’s name, I will do it.” Neither did He say, “If you ask anything in the name of the saints, I will do it.” He said we are to ask in His name. Praying in the name of Jesus Christ brings His authority to bear on the needs which we have.
Picture a motorcycle policeman who is directing traffic. Along comes a semi truck, but the policeman blows his whistle. What happens? The truck comes to a rapid halt. Why? Because the little policeman is powerful enough to stop the truck? No! Because of the authority which has been vested in him by the government he represents.
We have not begun to realize what resources are at our disposal by praying in the name of Jesus Christ, exercising the authority which is rightfully ours as His children.
Law #3: The law of divine will.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him,” says 1 John 5, “that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15, NKJV).
Law #4: The law of faith.
Jesus taught the disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matthew 21:21-22, NKJV). Do you see the condition and the promise which follows? The condition is asking in faith without doubt. The promise is that God will move mountains, which means doing the impossible.
Martin Luther said that faith is a lively, reckless confidence in God. J. Elton Trueblood said, “Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.” To me, faith is the assurance that what God has said in His Word is true, and I can act upon it with full confidence that God won’t let me down. It’s just that simple, but it works. You can make that great discovery for yourself.
Resource reading: Matthew 21:1-22
