“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:5-8).
As previously stated, chapters 13-16 of the gospel of John records Jesus’ last words to his disciples before he was crucified on the cross. He is telling his friends repeatedly, “I am going to die and then be resurrected and go back to heaven. I’m not going to be here physically, but I am going to be here spiritually. The Holy Spirit is going to live within you, and he will draw you near to me.”
When we stay connected to Jesus, our lives will bear fruit. Paul the apostle speaks of that fruit in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Imagine how much better we’ll feel when these Christlike character traits show up in our lives, and how much better our relationships will be!
John 15 also contains an unbelievable promise about prayer but notice the two conditions. Jesus tells his disciples to stay connected to him, and to have his word planted in our hearts, then we can pray with confidence. Jesus is talking about prayers that are generated out of a closeness with him and prayers that are consistent with his words in the Bible. Jesus says, those prayers will certainly be answered.
Picture for a moment a branch being cut off from the vine or the stem. It withers up and ultimately there won’t be any fruit. Likewise, our spiritual strength and vitality depend on maintaining a life-giving connection to the Lord.
Some people think prayer is like a magic wand that they wave to get what they want. It’s a superstitious approach. God is like a genie in a bottle that pops out and says, “My wish is your command!”
Perhaps you’ve seen the signs beside fire extinguishers: “Use only in emergency.” For a lot of people, prayer is like that. It’s a last resort, like the story of the deacon who came to his pastor one day. The pastor said, “I guess all we can do is pray,” and the deacon said, “Oh boy, is it that bad?” For many, prayer is the last thing they think about after exhausting all other options. In other words, you do everything you can and then you pray.
For some people, prayer is a tug of war. The idea is that you have to beg and plead with God as if he’s some cold-hearted monarch sitting on a throne. If you pester him enough, perhaps he’ll eventually give in.
As long as you’re trying to be self-sufficient, then prayer will never be much of a meaningful part of your life. When you think that you’ve got it all together, you won’t feel much of a need to draw near to God. Prayer is meant to be an act of dedication, where we say: “God, I admit that I have a need for you. I need your help in my life.” Prayer is a declaration of dependence upon God. It’s our way of saying, “Lord, I’m trusting you to meet the deepest needs of my life.”
Our problem is we have a hard time believing that God is really interested in every area of our lives. It’s hard to conceive that the creator of the entire universe is interested in car payments, house payments, and in providing decent clothes for our kids. Certainly, God wouldn’t be interested in helping us deal with an irritating co-worker, with physical ailments, or financial problems.
When you discover God’s amazing love, prayer will no longer be a burden or a chore. Instead, prayer is a beautiful opportunity to express our devotion and our dependence on the Lord. It’s not just mouthing meaningless words, but words of praise and petition that flow from abiding or dwelling with Jesus. In that way, prayer changes from a duty into a delight!
Prayer
Lord, please give us a greater understanding of the power of intercession and help us to stay connected to you and to regularly lift up prayers that bring glory and honor to your name. Thank you for being a good Father who loves to give good gifts to your children. We are grateful for how your promises regarding prayer can inspire our devotional lives.
Question
What changes can you make so prayer is more a part of your life?