Eishah Smith

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This verse has a big claim in it: sounds like there’s a way to guarantee our prayers will be answered. Whoa! Stop the press! Where’s the catch? you may be wondering. That’s a good question that needs to be answered, because we want to get that right.

First, it says we must abide, or stay, in Christ. Second, His words must abide, or stay, in us. Third, we shall ask for what we will, and it shall be done. This is heavier than it appears.

First, what does it mean to stay in Christ? Verses 9 and 10 in the Amplified version of the same chapter explain it further: “I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you]. If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭AMP‬‬ To abide in Christ means to remain in His love and not doubt it.

Do not doubt it! That’s harder than it sounds! Life has a way of creating reasons and opportunities to doubt that anyone loves you. Just a little mistake can knock you off your security. But if someone says something heartless or does something cruel it can be impossible to counter. Trusting His love is an important practice before you need it.

“To remain” implies you are already in a particular place or state of being. Once you find yourself in Christ’s love, not your own, stay there. Many of us have only accepted that Christ died for us and the freedom it offers us but haven’t fully embraced all that it means. As a result it’s too easy to lose our trust and faith. If we knew how precious and powerful it is, we would chase it down by any means until we found it, then cherish it and never lose it, and share it widely at all costs.

Along with asking for a deeper understanding, I’m reading and memorizing Bible promises, praying those promises for people around me, cooperating with God to answer them, and watching God love others in spite of me. It is getting easier to trust. What are you doing to stay in Christ’s love?

Father, we thank You for the gift of Your Son. We don’t fully appreciate what it meant to You, or what it should mean to us. Please help us value it as we should so that we can never doubt it.