John 16:23-24 – Experiencing Joy through prayer

The coming of the Holy Spirit would make many questions unnecessary. He, whom Jesus would send from the Father, would be here to make the truth of God plain to His followers. These were the assertions of Jesus. In referring to “that day,” Jesus was talking about the time when He would be physically absent from earth because He would have ascended to the Father. During that time, Jesus urged us believers to make prayer a way of life. He was talking about a critical spiritual exercise for effective living.

However, the followers of Christ must remember that Prayer still need to be directed to the Heavenly Father. Only this time the Lord is saying that we need to ask the Father on the merit of Christ Jesus and His completed work at the cross. Asking in His name also meant that our prayer must correspond with the character and objectives of Christ. It is asking what Christ would want and not just what we desire. Asking in His name also meant that our prayer must be offered in submission to the Lordship of Christ.  

Many, in our day, have misunderstood what Jesus had said here. It had resulted in the name-it-and-claim-it teachings of the prosperity gospel. They see prayer as a means to get anything one wants. Prayer becomes the excuse to pursue material wealth. This can only happen when a person fails to see that the purpose of prayer is to help us get into alignment with the desire God has for our life. When we are truly in alignment with God, we would ask according to His will for our life. That kind of prayer will bring us right smack into the core of His desire for us. It will bring us increasing joy. Without a doubt, answered prayers always generate joy. This is a transforming experience in Christian living. So we must learn to pray on the basis of Christ’s merit, and be aware of our own unworthiness. We are also to pray according to His nature and in submission to His will. 

We must not forget that God is concerned for our well-being. He wants us to be joyful Christians. We have Christ’s assurance that whenever we pray according to His will we will receive. When that happens, we will experience joy. While trials will be part and parcel of our spiritual journey, joy can be an ever increasing experience. It happens when we place our trust in Him through prayer. In return He will put an un-erasable joy into our hearts. As we connect with Him in prayer, let us pray so that our joy can be made complete. What a promise!