Jesus' Prayer Promise: In What Sense Is It True?
In John’s Gospel Jesus says to his disciples, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). I’m sure most reading this recognize that this is not some universal blanket promise. So we have to ask, “On what level is this true?” Or, “Is it true on any level?” The preceding context assumes that the one who asks is trusting and abiding in Christ, and is participating in the works that Christ did and continues to do through his disciples (John 14:10-12). That being the context, the assumption might be that the one who is abiding in Christ and doing Christ’s works knows exactly what to ask. That, however, seems to me to be an awfully grandiose assumption. Even if we knew exactly what to ask, how could the answer be guaranteed? God does not act coercively in our world and in our personal lives, and God obviously grants to human beings (and indeed all creatures and all e...