Alleluia Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia!
In the death and Resurrection of the Lord Christ, He accomplishes what poor sinners cannot, and the Lord accounts it all to us by faith and in prayer. We see, once again, as Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure, that in today’s text He instructs them to pray in His name, and His Father will grant their petition. As Christ is seated at the right hand of majesty, He does not leave the church as orphans, for She possesses the Holy Spirit, and He leads believers to pray through Christ to be conformed to Him, and to be made like their Savior, inheriting eternal life from the Father.
The primary teaching our Lord offered in our gospel reading concerning prayer is that we, His disciples, pray in Jesus’ name to our heavenly Father. Why must this be so? Apart from Christ, our prayers are worthless before God. No matter how good or bad we think we are, or if we pray once a day before bed or every time we think about God during the day, we are still sinners. Sin comes from the lack of fear, love, and trust in God. For if we loved and trusted in God perfectly, there would be no time for sin, nor would we possess the capability of sin. For we would be so consumed with prayer and the things of our Lord that unrighteousness would be unable to distract us.
Consider this fact another way. How often do we think before we commit a sin, or do we just do it and think about it afterward? And compared to how often we think about prayer, how often do we follow it up with the prayer itself? In this regard, prayer and sin are polar opposites. The time we set aside for contemplation differs quite dramatically. Sin is something we don’t often think about beforehand, and the guild comes after. But as for prayer, we think we should probably do it, and after it’s done, we are at peace and no longer have turmoil in our conscience. The thing that we do by our own sinful nature leaves us in doubt, but the thing that we do out of our supernatural Christian faith leaves us in the strong conviction of the promises of Christ. Yet why do we find ourselves in the first state day after day and hour after hour?
It is because sin is comfortable and prayer is uncomfortable. Sin allows us to stay on the path we are on, and prayer recognizes that our path needs correction. Sin says that we are in control, and prayer says we are lost and poor without God’s grace.
For this reason, Christ says that we are to pray in His name. Christ does not intend His name to be used as an incantation of prayer. Meaning that His name is only some add-on or something we need to say to the Father, and automatically, whatever we pray for will come to pass. Instead, Jesus desires us to pray through Him. Knowing that our sins are displeasing and our works are worthless, we pray through Jesus, meaning through His suffering and death, His righteousness and goodness are why God can hear us. Therefore, we are not promised to be heard on the basis of ourselves; instead, we are heard because of what Christ has done for us.
For He has paid the price of our sins. He does this by his perfect life, entirely given to His Father in prayer from his conception in the womb to his last breath before he died; it was a prayer to the Father: “It is finished.” And what Christ accomplishes is entirely for us, and received daily by faith, the word of God, and prayer
Faith in Christ not only confirms that our prayers are pleasing to God for the sake of His Son, but prayer also conforms us to the will of God. Because of sin, God’s will and our own will rarely align. Yet, we still pray for His will to be done even when it contradicts our own. For the Lord’s will is always our salvation. Just asked the people of Israel in our Old Testament reading.
In the book of Numbers, chapter 21, we learned that as the Israelites journeyed from the land of Egypt, where they were held in bondage and freed by God’s mighty hand as they crossed the Red Sea, they continued to grumble against the Lord and His servant Moses. Let us not forget what God has already done for His people. The Lord God has already given them manna and quail from heaven. When they complained about the lack of water, God gave them water from a rock. When they built the golden calf and worshiped it as their redeemer from bondage, God did not forsake them. And now at this present time, they have no regard for God’s grace as they cry out to Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” But wait, they already have the bread from heaven, and now they cry out in distress.
In order to call the people to repentance, the Lord God sends fiery serpents. Snakes that would bite the people and cause death among those who did not repent. Acknowledging their sins before the Lord, they go to Moses to intercede for them that the Lord God would remove the serpent from their midst. To our amazement, the Lord’s answer to the prayers of Moses is no. For what would that mean for God? That He doesn’t desire correction and repentance? He would be like a parent without a spine. Instead, for the benefit of the people of Israel, He commands Moses to build a bronze serpent. That they would look on the very thing that they caused their illness, sit on a pole, and they would live.
God answers our prayers for the benefit of our salvation. He does not remove the trials of serpents if He does not deem it would be good for us. It was through this trial that the Israelites once again believed in God. That God uses their sin to conform them to His image. That they would be gracious and slow to anger and abound in steadfast love as the Lord God Himself is. Even when our prayers are not answered in the way we see as necessary, that doesn’t mean they go unanswered or unheard. Instead, God is working out our salvation. He desired us to be with him for all eternity. Therefore, the Lord will not grant unto us anything that will take us away from Him forever.
Prayer is the acknowledgment that we are poor and needy, but for the sake of Jesus Christ, we are given His righteousness, and we yearn to be more like Him. So ask the Lord what is needed to be like His Son. Seek His forgiveness, and you will be justified. Ask for strength, and you will receive the Holy Spirit to bear your afflictions. Look to Christ for guidance, and His Word will be a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. And take comfort that the Lord will not grant those things that take you away from salvation.
St. John's and Grace Evangelical Lutheran Parish 