Will Jesus Answer our Prayer?

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (John 14:12-14)

What a great thought! Believe, do as Jesus has done, and then ask for anything; it is as good as done!

So, then, how come all our prayers don’t get answered? How come we can pray night after night for a relative to be cured of cancer? Or for a loved one to come to know the Lord? Or for safety during a tornado or other disastrous event? And those prayers don’t seem to be answered?

A couple of things are happening in the short final sentence in the above Bible verse.  First, “Ask for anything in my name.” Did you ask in Jesus’ name? Sure, you said Christ’s name in your prayer, but did you mean it? Did you feel it?

And do you know what it really means to pray that way? It means you have turned your request over to Jesus, and it’s now his decision how he “will do it.”God isn’t a puppet on a string to do our every bidding. We must trust that both God the Father and God the Son have our best interests and will take care of us and our prayers.