ὃ ἐάν θέλητε αἰτήσασθε

Ἐὰν μείνητε ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐν ὑμῖν μείνῃ, ὃ ἐάν θέλητε αἰτήσασθε, καὶ γενήσεται ὑμῖν. — κατὰ Ἰωάννην 15:7

ean meinete en emoi kai ta hremata mou en hymin meine, ho ean thelete aitesasthe, kai genesetai hymin. — kata Ioannen 15:7

If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, whatever you wish, ask, and it shall come to be for you. — John 15:7, translation mine

I have heard some express the belief that prayer is pointless. Some have declared it not only pointless but have also condemned it as an exercise in sanctioned cupidity. The argument asserts that selfless followers of Christ should not be wasting time begging for selfish desires. Some may even argue that because God already knows what we need, petitioning Him displays a lack of faith.

It does not help that in recent years the so-called prosperity gospel with its focus on earthly riches and physical comfort has diluted the message of Christ's suffering and sacrifice. Accusers seize on this disparity to justify their negative stereotypes of Christian faith as sanctimony and prayer as greed.

Christians may shrug this off as mere denominational discrepancies or ecclesiastical adiaphora, but, as the body of Christ, we should accurately reflect Him. It is critical for followers of Christ to fully understand what he means when he says, “Whatever you wish, ask, and it shall come to be for you.”

The first thing to understand is that God is not a cosmic concierge. As the Creator and Ruler of the universe, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit hold sway over man, not man over God. Christ had already told His disciples, “Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, 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, ESV). Our petitions should seek the Father's glory, not our own self-aggrandizement.

The apostle Paul adds, writing of Christ, “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16, ESV). As the Son is one with the Father, it is meet that He should share in the Father's glory. In light of this dynamic, petitions should be presented in deference to Father and Son through the Holy Spirit, not in false humility that seeks to be praised but in thankful consideration that seeks to serve.

Despite what some may teach and others may accuse, prayer does not seek first the comfort of man. Suffering and need remind the Christ follower to rely wholly on God. Paul relates to the church a period of terrible trial:

… we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again.
2 Corinthians 1:8b-10

Had Paul devoted all his energy and thought to the want and suffering of his ordeal, it would have enslaved him. Instead, Paul's focus on God freed him to preach the gospel and accomplish the Father's will. Likewise, the writer of Hebrews exhorts all Christians, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11, ESV).

It is with this mind that we should approach prayer, as a training of our focus on God through constant conversation with Him. If this be the goal, prayer will reflect God's perfect will rather than man's capricious desire. This underscores the importance of remaining in Christ — to discern the will of God and to carry out His purpose as His body, the Church.

As God spoke to Moses, “You shall therefore lay up these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18, ESV). Constant devotion to prayer and Scripture are integral to abiding in God's Word, namely Christ, the vine. This is not only for individual enrichment but the enrichment of all through the preaching of the words of God, the gospel, to present and future generations as He prescribed, that is, “to teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 11:19, ESV).

As members of Christ's body, we participate in the divine fellowship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just as no emissary may ask that which does not represent the one who sent him, no petition invoking Christ's name outside of His holy character will be granted by the Father. Yet if we glorify God through a life of prayer truly made in Christ's name, we will share in His glory alongside Christ, whose sacrifice redeems us.