"Prayer Joy"

Overview

Prayer Joy

There is a particular joy that comes when God answers our prayers in the way we hoped—a healing received, a problem suddenly resolved, a confusing path made clear. But what about the times when God's answer doesn't match what we asked for, or when heaven seems silent? Is prayer joy still possible then?

In His farewell discourse on the way to the cross, Jesus tells His disciples, "Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you... Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete" John 16:23-24. This promise is repeated in John 14:13 and John 15:16. To pray "in Jesus' name" is not a verbal formula tacked onto the end of a request; it is to ask according to the will of God. 1 John 5:14 says the same: "This is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."

This means there are some prayers we should never qualify with "if it be your will," because God has already revealed His will plainly in Scripture. When we confess our sins, we don't ask if God might forgive us—the cross of Christ has already secured that promise. When a child is baptized, we don't wonder if God will give the gifts attached to baptism; we give thanks that He has. But for many other matters, "Thy will be done" is precisely the prayer of faith—and it is also where the struggle lies. We like our own wills. We have plans, timelines, and outcomes already mapped out, and we can grow irritated with God when His will does not align with ours. We can even treat Him, as one author put it, like a "cosmic bellhop" whose job is to make our lives easier. Christ bore that stubborn self-will to the cross, shedding His blood to forgive us and rising to transform us.

Notice that Jesus links fullness of joy not to getting what we want, but to asking in His name—resting in the Father's will. Prayer itself is the means by which God conforms our wills to His. We will not always understand His answers; "my thoughts are not your thoughts" Isaiah 55:8. But we have His promise that "all things work together for good for those who love God" Romans 8:28, and His call to "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding" Proverbs 3:5. Prayer joy, then, is not fragile—dependent on outcomes—but durable, anchored in the goodness of the God whose will is always for His glory and our ultimate good. When we can say, "Lord, I want what You want, because You are God and I am not," His will becomes enough. And there is joy.

Transcript

Let's open our Bible's please to the 16th chapter of the great gospel according to Saint 2s

John, John the 16th chapter for our study today. 9s

Prayer joy. 16s

Prayer joy. 17s

We've all experienced that haven't we? 19s

It's the joy associated with times of prayer. 22s

In particular, those times in which the prayers have been answered how we hoped they would be answered. 26s

And there is just that prayer joy. 36s

I think, for example, in my first call back in the state of Washington, there was a young 40s

man there who had been given the terrible diagnosis that he had a brain tumor. 46s

They had done the MRI that tumor was clearly present. 52s

The doctor had given him the word. 55s

But before he was to start treatment, he had another MRI and the doctor called him into the 59s

office. 66s

He said, here's your first MRI. 68s

There's the tumor. 71s

Here's your second MRI. 73s

There's no tumor. 75s

The doctor said, I have no medical explanation to give you. 77s

But what I can tell you is you had a tumor and now you don't have a tumor. 84s

Well, talk about prayer joy. 93s

There was joy among all of us that had been praying for this young man. 97s

It was just prayer joy overflowing because we knew that God and His grace had touched 103s

this young man with His healing touch. 113s

Prayer joy. 117s

Sometimes it's problems, isn't it? 119s

That all of a sudden, God just works out or it's those times of prayer in which you're 122s

hearing about what direction to take and then all of a sudden there is this clarity 129s

that comes about and you can see God's hand so clearly and the response is just joy, 134s

just joy associated with prayer. 144s

I want to deal with the subject today though. 151s

About what about those times when God doesn't answer our prayers in according to what we 154s

hoped? 165s

What about those times? 167s

Can there still be prayer joy? 170s

Let's turn now to that 16th chapter of John and we're going to pick up in verse 23 and 177s

just to set the setting. 183s

The setting here is the passion weak of our Lord. 186s

And remember, in this section of St. John's Gospel, what we see are farewell discourses. 189s

This happens to be the discourse that has given us Jesus' on his way to get the 70. 198s

So it's passion weak. 204s

On the way to get 70, the cross looms, the cross is very, very imminent. 206s

Look when we please, at verse 23 of John 16, Jesus says, 212s

on that day you will ask nothing of me. 220s

What day is he talking about? 227s

He has to be talking post-essential here because we know during the 40 days after Jesus was resurrected 230s

from the dead and before he ascended into heaven. 240s

There were questions of him, for example, in Acts 1 chapter, they said, 244s

Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel? 249s

So Jesus must be talking about a time after his ascension into heaven. 256s

When the disciples won't have the opportunity face to face to ask him a question, 262s

let's go on. 271s

Next part of verse 23, Jesus says, 272s

very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, 277s

he will give it to you. 285s

Jesus is saying, if you ask in my name, it's just like asking the Father. 289s

And this is the thought here, this is a truth that Jesus is communicating with frequency. 298s

Turn it with me, please, to chapter 14 of John verse 13, chapter 14 verse 13. 305s

There Jesus says this. 313s

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 316s

Or, turn, please, to chapter 15 verse 16. 326s

Jesus says this, you did not choose me, but I chose you. 331s

And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you 338s

whatever you ask him in my name. 346s

So when Jesus talks about asking in his name, another way to put that is, 352s

when we say in your name, in the name of the Lord Jesus, we are asking for the 359s

will of God to be done. 367s

Let's go on in the verse 24. 372s

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name, right, because they were face to face with Jesus, 375s

or they had asked the Father. 383s

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. 387s

Now, his name means the will of God. 393s

And if God wills it, then they will receive it. 398s

The same truth is communicated in 1 John, the 5th chapter. 402s

And this is the boldness we have in him that if we ask anything, according to his will, 406s

he hears us. 415s

Okay. Let me ask you this question. 421s

Is there ever a prayer that we should pray in which we don't say if it be your will? 427s

Is there ever a prayer that we should pray that we don't say if it be your will? 438s

It's a little bit of a trick question, because the answer, 449s

the answer is yes. Let me give you an example. 454s

When we repent of our sins, when we confess of our sins, when we ask forgiveness of God 459s

for our sinfulness. When we pray to God, having confessed our sin, 465s

repenting of our sin, asking of his forgiveness, we should not say if it be your will, 473s

please forgive me. Why is that? Because we know that we are forgiven through the cross 480s

of the Lord Jesus Christ. That promise is clear in Holy Scripture. We already know God's will. 486s

If we confess our sins, we repent of them. We are a forgiven people. Or what about baptism? 495s

Let's say a child is baptized. Would we ever pray, oh Lord, if it your will, 510s

give to this child the gifts associated with baptism, forgiveness of sins, life eternal, 518s

the Holy Spirit, being made a member of the family eternal life. We will be ever pray to God 525s

and say, Lord, if it's your will, then give it or forgiveness of sins and eternal life 536s

and the Holy Spirit and make the member of the family of God. What we ever say, if it be your 543s

will, no, because we know that the promises associated with baptism are already given. 550s

It's not if it be your will prayer, it's a thank you Lord for the gifts that you have given to us 558s

in the waters of baptism. Thank you, God, for the faith that you give in the waters of baptism. Thank 566s

you, that you've given the Holy Spirit in baptism. Thank you for forgiveness and eternal life 572s

and making the one the member of the thank you for that. So are there prayers in which we 578s

shouldn't say if it be your will? Absolutely. When the promises of God are clear, 587s

okay, what about this question? What about those times when we pray and God's will is different 597s

than what we hoped for? What about those times? Those times when God answers in a different way 611s

or God seems silent? What about those times? Is it by necessity that we then become like a balloon 622s

that has been popped and just gets deflated and there is no joy in association with prayer in 635s

those circumstances? As I prepared this message for this week, I couldn't help but think of all 648s

of the times that we pray the Lord's prayer in worship, in our private devotions with others. 661s

When you think on your life as a Christian, the countless numbers of times when we pray 672s

the Lord's prayer and one of the petitions of the Lord's prayer, of course, is thy will be done. 679s

But here's the challenge. So often we want our will to be done. You see, when we pray, thy will 692s

be done, what we are saying to God is, I want your will God to be done even if it disagrees 706s

with my will and that can be a challenge for us, can't it? Because we like our wills, don't we? 715s

We like what we like and we know what we want and so we can become irritated with God 724s

when God's will doesn't line up with our will. You see, when we pray, thy will be done 736s

so often we betray the very words that we pray. Because we've got it all figured out so often 747s

don't we? We've got it all laid out, all the things that God should do and when God should do it and 756s

if God would just get on board with our plan, things would go so much easier. Sometimes we can even say, 761s

you know, if God really loved me, then He would have answered this prayer in accordance with how I 772s

hope it would be answered. We can even say, you know, I prayed, I prayed nothing happened, 782s

nothing happened. We can sometimes as one author puts it, treat God like a cosmic bell hop 792s

where that person is there just to try and make things easier for us. 801s

Our joy can so often become linked to whether or not God answers our prayers in accordance with 807s

our will and our sin is very evident, isn't it? But God in His grace sends His sun, the Lord 827s

Jesus Christ and on the cross. The Lord Jesus Christ bears all of our sins, 840s

including our stubborn wills, including our wills that we like to elevate above the will of God. 848s

He sheds His blood for us and forgives us. The tomb is empty, Christ crucified and risen 860s

for the salvation of the world. And God in His grace comes to us, transforming our prayers 870s

so that joy is linked with resting in His will. Look again, please, at the text, 887s

verse 23, halfway through, Jesus says, very truly I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father 905s

in my name, He will give it to you. Remember that's the asking for the will of God to be done. 914s

In His name is the same thing I'm saying, what I want God is I want your will. 923s

Then notice 24. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name, ask and you'll receive 930s

so that your joy may be complete or you can translate it full. Notice here that joy is linked 940s

with the will of God. And joy is linked with the will of God under the banner of prayer. 960s

Our prayer joy then is not dependent upon whether or not what we hope for comes about. Our 973s

will being done. No. Our joy is linked in resting in His will being done. 988s

Where we say, by the grace of God, Lord, I want your will because your God and I'm not. 1005s

Lord, I want your will. I want to desire what you desire. 1022s

Luther talked about that. How prayer forms are wills. 1035s

What one author talks about it reflecting on, I early church Father by the name of Augustin 1043s

and Augustin talked about prayers in which they form that which we desire. And this author talks 1050s

about it as this gracious confirmation. Where in our prayers, thy will be done. 1058s

And then our will is conformed by God's grace to His will. Where our joy then 1068s

fullness complete as Jesus talks about. Our joy is linked with wanting what God wants 1077s

because God's God and letting His will be enough. We're not going to understand God's answers 1091s

every time. I think of Isaiah 55. Now, as a 55, God says this, my thoughts are not your thoughts. 1109s

Nor are my ways or nor are your ways, my ways says the Lord. Let me say that again. For my thoughts 1122s

are not your thoughts. Nor your ways, my ways says the Lord. They're going to be times in which 1130s

we just don't understand God's will. We don't understand why He answered the prayer the way He did. 1139s

But we have this promise. Romans 8, we know that all things work together for good 1149s

for those who love God who are called according to His purpose. That everything that God allows 1157s

in our life is for His glory and our ultimate good. I think also of Proverbs 3, 1165s

trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight. 1177s

That's trust, isn't it? That's trust that God knows what He's doing. 1184s

Thy will be done. Thy will be done. That's then in the end what we want. 1198s

And God moves through His word to transform us and to conform our wills to His will. 1211s

And resting in His will. Whatever that is, resting in that and knowing then that that is 1225s

God's will for us resting in that. There's joy. Joy. 1235s