Tuesday, May 15, 2007
John 16:23 "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you."
CALL UPON ME IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE
Prayer is a powerful and fierce weapon to be used in our spiritual warfare. Notice the context of this verse. Jesus has just told them that they must endure much sorrow and that they will be sad while the world rejoices. But He instructs them in the right way of dealing with adversity. He does not leave them without a place to turn, for in the midst of this sorrow He assures them, "You have the privilege of access directly to the throne of God." The weak and foolish mumbles which we too often dribble from our mouths in a hurried attempt to go to bed or eat our meal with a clear conscience is certainly not what Jesus has in mind here. He does not give us such a powerful weapon that we might clumsily swing it about a few times a day. This is not a toy to be used for our amusement or merely as a practice in calming meditation. What Christ talks about here is the means by which He provides us strength, comfort, and guidance. What Christ talks about here is a great and powerful weapon with which we can crush our old man like a bug under the full force of a sledge hammer.
In this promise, Christ calls us to wake up and realize the dire predicament that we are in. He calls us to appeal for rescue to the only one who can help, the Father Almighty. He assures us that in all situations we have the right to ask whatever we need of Him and He will provide us. But do you really think that lollipops and candy bars are going to do you any good in the midst of a battle? So too the things of this world are utterly useless in the fight for which we are engaged. As sons of God we have the right to petition Him for aid and counsel. Use that right to squash the sinful flesh and to send Satan and the World into retreat. What will stand in your way? What great mountain of worry or suffering? Pray to the Lord and He will remove it. This is the promise He has given His children.
