Whatever, part 2
Last week we began looking at the “Ask Whatever”-passages in the Bible.
How are we to think about it when the Bible seems to say something like, “Ask whatever and you’ll get it!”?
First, as we considered last week, this at least means that we are invited to bring our whole selves to God in prayer. “Ask whatever” means… go ahead, ask away!
Second, this week, we’ll consider what this does not mean.
“Ask Whatever”-passages are not assurances that whatever we happen to think we want right now will happen in the way or at the time we want it.
Notice the qualifiers that clarify what “whatever” means:
Matthew 21:22 Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.
John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
1 John 3:22 Whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
This changes things quite a bit. Like, completely.
“Whatever we ask” in accordance with God’s Word, in obedience to His commands, for His good pleasure and for His glory in Jesus, whose character and purposes must be recognizably attached to the request.
Not Any Whatever
James 4:3 says, “You ask and you do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
There are many things we could ask for that are certainly welcome before the Lord as expressions of our hearts, but are not aligned with any part of who He is or what He’s doing.
Just because we want it badly doesn’t mean He’s going to give it to us. Just we because it’s something we may be plausibly able to attach to a verse or phrase in the Bible, doesn’t mean He’s going to give it to us. And even if our request is in accord with His will, etc., it still doesn’t mean that God will positively answer our request when we want it.
As an illustration, consider the stories in Scripture where a character offers to give someone “Whatever you ask for…” It usually ends badly!
For example, the story where Shechem invites the sons of Jacob to ask for whatever they want so that his son can marry their sister, ends with the slaughter of his city. The Persian king who invites Esther to ask for whatever, up to half my kingdom, ends up killing Haman and all his family. When King Herod offers his step-daughter whatever she might ask for, John the Baptizer loses his head. James and John asking for whatever we ask ends with a long lecture from Jesus about not being served but serving.
In other words, it is often the case that when we’re offered whatever we ask for, we end up asking for something selfish and destructive.
Apart from our connection with Jesus—abiding in Him as the branch abides in the vine—those are the kinds of requests we start with. We ask wrongly, in order “to spend it on our passions.”
But these "Ask Whatever"-verses aren’t about what we ask apart from Jesus, but what we ask connected to Jesus, with Jesus, for Jesus, in Jesus’ Name. Whatever we ask will certainly be changed by Jesus’ involvement. But we are still invited (commanded) to ask for this renewed-Whatever.
For now, let’s conclude with a prayer of thanksgiving.
As C.S. Lewis wrote, “I must often be glad that certain past prayers of my own were not granted.” I think we can all chuckle and groan over certain things we prayed for with real passion that we are now thankful were not granted.
We may be glad too that however poorly we treat praying—as if it were letters to Santa, or a shortcut to “success”—God views our praying with patience and grace. He hears in our self-interested, selfish, even sinful requests… well, He hears, through the noise of it all, our hearts.
We may be glad also that the good which God promises to do for us does not depend on our properly articulated prayers. Our ability to pray The Best Prayers does not factor in to God’s commitment to do what’s the truly best-good for us.
Prayer
Lord God Almighty, we give You thanks and praise, for You are good and all Your works are right. You are faithful and gracious, patient and steadfast in Your love for us.
We know we do not always pray as we ought. We do not pray as often as we’d like. We do not pray for the things we ought to pray for. We do not pray for what we pray for in a manner that is appropriate. We pray for much that is frivolous and self-involved.
We freely admit all these things simply as the context for our gratitude that the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, His mercies never come to an end—they are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness!
You are working all things together for our good. We do love You, Lord. Thanks be to God! Please continue to work in us, Lord, to desire and to do what pleases You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Photo by Ivan Bandura on Unsplash