Whatever We Ask?

Jesus says something amazing in today’s Gospel, something we may think is unbelievable: “Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” Really? Our experience of prayer and petition seems to tell us that the Father does not actually give us whatever we ask for, even if our request ends with the words “in Jesus’ Name” or “through Christ our Lord.” So. Was Jesus just using some dramatic hyperbole or devotional language?

No. Jesus says what he means. Jesus IS the Truth, so every word he speaks is true. And these words, spoken at the Last Supper before he gave himself as a sacrificial offering, were a kind of “last will and testament” to his disciples. They were sitting near him, eating with him, aware of the tone of his voice and the sincerity of all he said. These words are surely true, and he surely meant them. How can we understand them?

Jesus was guiding them into the understanding that things were about to change, but for the better: “The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures… Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” Gradually, they would come to see Jesus as the Bridge, re-establishing communion between God and His people; because Jesus is also human and we are part of his Mystical Body, all our prayer is joined to his own prayer before the Father, and shares in the efficacy of his prayer.

But does that mean that we will actually receive “whatever we ask for”? Yes, on one condition: that what we ask for is TRULY for our good and God’s glory.

We’ve all heard the expression: “Be careful what you ask for.” We always ask for what we THINK will make us happy (no one asks for something that will make them miserable!), but we have to admit that we don’t always know the full picture, we certainly can’t see the future, and so we don’t always know that what we are requesting will really bring us happiness. But God does.

The presupposition is that we are walking in God’s commandments, seeking his perfect will, and therefore that our prayer is in conformity with His will.

God hears every single prayer. But we don’t always hear His answer clearly. I like to say that God has three ways to answer our prayers:

• Yes.
• Not yet.
• Actually, I have a better idea.

Let’s pray for the grace to appreciate the great gift we have been given in Christ, to seek God’s will for our own good and His glory, and to accept that His Plan for our lives is designed to bring us every good, deep peace, and eternal joy. Then we can pray in complete trust, knowing that the Father will, indeed, give us whatever we ask for in Jesus’ name.

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