American Reformation Church Prayer Journal 10
ARC Prayer Meeting
“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. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23, 24).
There was an important day coming according to our Lord that would dramatically change how God’s people would commune with Him. There was a certain day approaching that would soon change forever the essence of prayer in our Lord’s Kingdom.
We know our Lord as fully God and fully man exemplified a devoted prayer life. It was so obvious to His disciples; they asked Him “Teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). From there, our Lord launched His famous “Lord’s Prayer” or “Model Prayer” to instruct His disciples on a priority prayer outline that contained prayer targets that were important to the Heavenly Father.
Just like it was good for the Lord to go back home to be with the Father, so He could send the Holy Spirit to be with us, in us, teach us, and lead us, so it was good for Him to leave in order to change the nature of prayer. Literally, prophets and righteous men of old desired to experience this, but did not. This was reserved for the church of the living God.
For the first time in redemptive history, we were privileged to pray to the Father in the name of the only worthy name in heaven and on earth, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10, 11).
This new approach to prayer introduced by our Lord added serious weight to being heard from on high, God answering those prayers in accordance to His will and it came with the added benefit of experiencing joy. Was there any other time in redemptive history when God said to His people, “whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
I think not and yet, does the church today fully comprehend and appreciate the magnitude of what our Lord is communicating to us concerning prayer? I’ll leave that to your own conscience to answer.
