Abide in Christ

Jesus gave this incredible promise concerning how to have answered prayer: “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).

This verse can be literally translated, “If you maintain a living communion with me, and my words are at home in you, I command you to ask at once for yourselves whatever you desire. It’s yours.”

“Abide in Me”

If we abide in Jesus, we will automatically know God’s will, and thus we will ask for it. To abide means to “maintain a living and continual fellowship with Jesus Christ.” You become like two friends who are completely comfortable in each other’s presence. You are not ill at ease, looking forward to getting away from that person. Instead, you enjoy being with him and you want to hear what he has to say.

This is not to say that we should be overly casual with God. As Jesus points out in His model prayer in Matthew 6:9–13, we should always begin our prayers by recognizing that we are addressing the Almighty God who is to be reverenced, worshipped and obeyed. Yet, He is also our Father in Heaven who greatly desires to hear from us and wants to be our closest and most intimate friend.

“My words abide in you”

This speaks of God’s Word being at home in our hearts. Our prayers cannot be divorced from our lifestyles. They flow out of a close walk with God. If your life is not pleasing to God, your prayer life will be practically non-existent. Obedience to God certainly plays a part in answered prayers: “Whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:22).

If we give a listening ear to all of God’s commands to us, He will give a listening ear to all of our prayers to Him.