"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in My name, I will do it." [John 14:13,14]
Our prayer requests, made in light of scripture, are no big deal for God to grant. It's like asking a fantastically rich, incredibly powerful ruler who loves you and whose child you are for a penny and permission to sleep out in the barn! Psalm 23:5 says 'Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.'
First, we have no enemies in Heaven, so the table is here, now. Food and wine refer to covenant, which we have in Jesus...all we need is already on the table, here. We are anointed with the Holy Spirit, with power and wisdom, set apart and sanctified for God. Our cup of the New Covenant overflows with the Blood of Jesus...every sin is complete obliterated, and we have peace with God. Therefore goodness and lovingkindness will follow us! Hallelujah!
Psalm 23...Overflowing?
The first 3 verses of Psalm 23 speak of God's prosperity for every aspect of man. The first statement is astounding--the Lord is my Shepherd--shepherds have complete responsibility for their sheep, to protect, provide for, and get them where they should be. Therefore, because my Shepherd is no mere man, but the Lord God, I shall not want...what could there possibly be that I could need or want that He could not provide?
He makes total provision for my physical body: I lie down in green pastures and am lead by quiet waters. For a sheep, this refers to their every physical need--food, water, and rest. Jesus reiterated this in Matthew 6, where He pointed out that our Heavenly Father knows we have need of these things. Our Shepherd will provide.
Psalm 23 also says 'my cup overflows.' This is a great picture of God's abundant nature...don't you think He'd know when to stop pouring? 'Look, God, it's getting near the top--it's almost full--stop, it's overflowing!' That's how we think--don't waste anything--and it's a conditioned response to lack. But God doesn't think like that..He keeps pouring 'til there's more than enough! He is an 'all things' God and has given us 'all things' richly to enjoy! Not meagerly, not from a 'you can't have much because there won't be enough to go around' mentality...pour it all over the table and down the legs to the floor, just to make sure we're good and satisfied! Overflowing!
There's a passage in Deuteronomy 28 that always makes me think..."So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things..."
Now, this is part of the curse borne by Jesus, so it doesn't really apply to us. But it gives great insight into God's will for His people, both natural [Israel] and spiritual [the Church].
Israelites
Take a look at the Israelites. They questioned His ability to provide at every turn, and it infuriated Him! Psalm 78 paints a clear picture: He always provided for them, sometimes in miraculous ways, yet they constantly whined and doubted His intention or ability or both! 'Therefore the Lord heard and was full of wrath...' [v.21].
However, He still continued to provide for them!! His bare-minimum provisions were out of mercy and because of His covenant Word to Abraham...they were not His best will. Hebrews 3 says they did not enter the Promised Land because of unbelief, and I Corinthians 10:5 says 'Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.' Since we know by Hebrews 11:6 that it is impossible to please Him without faith, we can see that it is faith in His ability and desire to provide for us.
He was not pleased. My personal opinion was that it took 40 years for the unbelievers with the slave mentality to die out--He knew it would take that long, it wasn't really a punishment per se. He needed them to get to the Promised Land to fulfill His Word to Abraham, and they were screwing around!
Not just them, but us, too, when we doubt the faithfulness of His covenant promises to us. Remember 2 Corinthians 1:20: 'For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.'
For Us
Philippians 4 says that He supplies our need '...according to His riches in glory...' That speaks of a King Who lavishes His children with abundance! Psalm 34:10 says '...they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.' And Isaiah 60 describes abundance of incredible proportions!
It becomes clear that the beliefs so commonly held that God is unwilling to bless us materially are in complete contradiction to His Word, and places us in a state of unbelief that actually displeases Him. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to '...draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.' Grace is God's favor: the dictionary defines grace as 'favor or service freely rendered, good will; the act of showing or granting such favor.' One of the definitions of favor is 'special treatment prompted by friendliness, liking, or approval.'
What could we ask that He could not, or more importantly, would not, provide? If prayerfully considered and based on His word, what could we ask that He would not want to shower us with? When we come to a place of leaning completely on Him for our every need and desire, realizing that He is already working in us to will and to work for His good pleasure--and we know that He '...delights in the prosperity of His servant.'
Whatever
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." [John 15:7,8]
"In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full." [John 16:23,24]
I guess Jesus must've figured we'd be pretty dense. He repeated these blanket prayer promises three times in three chapters! It was if He thought 'Yikes, I'm going to have to repeat Myself so these morons will get it!' [writer's license...I don't think that's actually in the Bible...besides, if He saw us as morons, it would be as deceived morons that He loves]
He must've seen that we'd be beaten over the head with sermons like Sometimes the Answer is No, or You Can't Always Know What God is Going To Do...so He said it, again and again and again.
Let's please Him. Let's lay aside all doctrines of error that tell us why the promises of God may not work for us and stand in faith, pleasing Him, for all that He has provided!
