To View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Y0NyJD2IGZw
SHOW NOTES
Hey everyone and welcome to a new week of the Hope Rescue Podcast. Today we are wrapping up our short series on prayer, so if you missed the last two episodes make sure you check out episodes 51 and 52 as well. Let’s jump into this week’s conversation!
Tim starts by touching on the question, “Do we pray to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit? Or does it even matter?” Tim summarizes the answer by repeating a saying his father always said when Tim was young: “We pray to the Father in the name of Jesus by the intercessory work of the Holy Spirit.” Praying to Jesus is not a problem, but Jesus said to pray to the Father, as we discussed last week. Matthew 6:9 “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
The main topic we want to discuss today is the question, “Why don’t we get what we pray for?” Kimberly shares that sometimes it’s easy to get hung up worrying about if we are praying in a way that the Lord can hear up. We get wrapped up in our wording or our presentation, but that is not the purpose of prayer. Kimberly says, “Prayer isn’t about following a formula to get what we want. It’s about abiding in Christ and hearing His heart for us.”
The scripture we will be studying today comes from John 15:1-7 and says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
How do we abide with Christ? When the Word of God abides in you, you abide with Christ. Ask yourself: How much time am I spending in the Word of God? How much do you expose your mind to biblical truth? If it's very little, you are likely not abiding in Christ and you will have little fruits to show. To have an abiding relationship with the Lord, we, the branches, must be connected to Him, the vine. If we are not connected, we cannot bear fruit. The word abide in Greek is “meinate” and it means to stay or remain. It is an action word which means it requires an act to do. If we are not doing (praying, reading our bibles, being present with the Lord) then we are not abiding.
If you want to know whether or not you are abiding in Christ, look for the fruit which is love. John 13:35 says, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” So back to our original question: How do we get what we pray for? John 15:7 says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” The caveat is abiding in Christ. The key to answered prayer is to constantly come in the right perspective to the Word of Christ, let the Word of Christ control your thinking, manage your thoughts, manage your will, and manage your desires, and allow the Lord to change you. If you do this, when you ask for something in prayer you will ask in accordance with the will of God that the Father might be glorified. In short, if you want your prayers answered, abide.
We will see you next week! We love you guys!
QUOTES
“Prayer isn't about following a formula to get what we want. It’s about abiding in Christ and hearing His heart for us.” -Kimberly
“Abiding prayer is when the Word of Christ dwells in us. If we are not exposing our minds to biblical truth often, we are likely not abiding in Christ.” -Tim
REFERENCED SCRIPTURE
Matthew 6:9-13 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
John 15:1-7 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 13:35 "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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