That We Might Know Him - Part 5

John 15:7 “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

I love Greg Laurie’s explanation of John 15:7 in the context of discipleship. He says that as we spend time in the Word of God—learning His will and His desires—our prayers begin to change. They become less self‑centered and more aligned with God’s glory and God’s will. And as we begin praying according to His will, we start to see results.

I’ve found this to be true in my own life. When I first became a Christian, I never read my Bible. The only time I prayed was when I needed something or wanted something. Usually, it was when I was desperate because I had gotten myself into some kind of mess. My prayers sounded something like:

“Dear God, if You would just fix this problem, I promise I’ll never make this mistake again, and I’ll trust You with my life.”

But a few months later, God became an afterthought, and I would fall right back into my old sin and way of life.

I wasn’t interested in what God wanted or what He had to say. I only wanted Him to fix my problems. But God wants more than that. He wants us to cry out to Him, yes—but He also wants to show us that His ways are good. He wants us to trust Him when we pray, regardless of the answer we receive.

We can take comfort in KNOWING that the promises of God are always true for us. What confidence we can have when we come before Him with our afflictions, knowing that He has declared His plans for us—plans to prosper us, not to harm us; plans to give us hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, God of Heaven and Earth, thank You for the infinite promises You have freely given us. Help us to remain in You and in Your Word so that we may KNOW Your perfect will for our lives. We trust that Your ways are perfect and good. Though trials and temptations may come, and though circumstances may not always make sense, we trust that Your plan is always right because Your Word tells us so. Thank You that we can have hope even in the midst of storms, because we KNOW You are the God of the universe and the Savior of all who come to You. In Jesus’ precious name… Amen.