Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 15:7

"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you." — John 15:7 (ASV)

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

Do not think that all men can pray alike effectively, for it is not so. There are some whom God will hear, and some whom God will not hear. And there are some even of his own children, whom he will hear in things absolutely vital and essential, to whom he never gave carte blanche after this fashion: You shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

No, if you will not hear God's words, he will not hear yours; and if his words do not abide in you, your words shall not have power with him. They may be directed to heaven, but the Lord will not listen to them so as to have regard for them.

Oh, it requires very careful conduct for one who would be mighty in prayer! You will find that those who have had their will at the throne of grace are men who have done God's will in other places; it must be so. The greatest favorite at court will have a double portion of his monarch's jealousy, and he must be especially careful that he orders his steps correctly, or else the king will not continue to favor him as he was accustomed to do. There is a sacred discipline in Christ's house, a part of which consists in this: as our obedience to our God declines, so will our power in prayer decrease at the same time.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

Power in prayer is dependent upon full enjoyment of union and communion with Christ. It is not everyone who can ask of God what he wills and get it; but it is such a person, and only such a person, who is found abiding in Christ and having Christ's words abiding in him.

If we do not take notice of what Christ says, can we expect that he will take notice of what we say? If we do not obey him when he asks this and that of us, how can we expect that he will give us this and that when we ask it of him? No, this is the condition of power in prayer: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

Ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, –

You see that doctrinal vitality is necessary to true union with Christ. Some, in these days, talk about a spiritual attachment to the person of Christ, while they shoot their envenomed darts against the dogmas of Christ; but that will not do. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, – my words of doctrine, precept, or promise, then–

You shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you.

This is the secret of successful prayer. Christ listens to your words because you listen to his words. If you are conformed to his will, he will grant you your will. Disobedient children, when they pray, may expect to get the rod for an answer. In true kindness, God may refuse to listen to them until they are willing to listen to him.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

Here is the secret of prevailing prayer. It is not every man who chooses to pray, who will have whatever he asks of God; but the successful pleader is the man who abides in Christ, and in whom Christ's words abide. God will not hear our words if we disregard his words. We cannot expect our prayers to be prevalent if we are severed from our Lord.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,

My very words. You must treasure Christ's teaching; you must obey his precepts. If you do this, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.

In this chapter we are taught once or twice that the power of prayer depends very much upon the closeness of our communion with Christ and the completeness of our obedience to him.

We are saved by faith in the Redeemer, but the joy of salvation, the very dignity and glory of it, will only come to those men who jealously watch themselves and zealously obey their Lord and Master.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.

Do not take that verse as a promise of unlimited answers to prayer, for it is nothing of the kind. Remember the "if" that qualifies it: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, for a man who is truly in Christ, as the branch is in the vine, and who is feeding upon Christ's words, will be so influenced by the Holy Spirit that he will not ask anything which is contrary to the mind of God.

Consequently, his prayers, though in one sense unrestricted, are really restricted by the tenderness of his conscience, and the sensitiveness of his spirit to the influence of the mind of God.

There are some Christians who do not get their prayers answered, and who never will as long as they do not comply with this condition, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you. If you do not take notice of Christ's words, he will not take notice of your words. He is not going to open his door to every stranger who chooses to give a runaway knock at it, but he will pay attention to his own children who pay attention to him.