IRREVOCABLE JOY
So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoiceG5463, and no one will take away your joyG5479. In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joyG5479 may be complete.
John 16:22-24
Jesus had just explained that He was going to die, and the disciples would temporarily be without him. After His resurrection, their sorrow would be turned to joy. This joy that would come to them would be a forever, complete joy. It could not be snatched away by any earthly circumstance. Salvation, healing, and deliverance are found in the name of Jesus. In order to use “in Jesus’s name”, one must have a personal relationship with Jesus; and one must also know, according to the Scriptures, what Jesus teaches us concerning His will. Requesting something in the power of Jesus’s name implies that one is submitting to the will of God. When we ask in the power of His name, in the will of the Lord, we will experience true, total joy.
Before you petition God, do you make sure that your petition meets with His will as revealed in the Bible? If so, you can pray expecting an answer. His answer may not always be exactly what you were thinking of, but it will ultimately bring glory to God as well as joy to you. The joy that Jesus gives us is everlasting. He will never go back on His promises. We can remain joyfully confident in that truth.
Father, help us to discern Your will according to Your word, the Bible. Strengthen us—physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally—to fulfill the calling You have given us. Thank You for Your forgiveness and grace when we fail.
REMINDER: We are posting devotions from Joy Blossoms Among the Thorns which is available on Amazon.com or can be purchased at the North Pointe Baptist Church craft fair on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 147 E. Hurst Blvd., Hurst, TX 76053.
Joy: Blossoms Among the Thorns: Slade, Susan, Hale, Susie: 9781954798243: Amazon.com: Books