2025-05-24: 6th Sunday - Ask in My Name

Introduction

• "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:24)
• “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)
• “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)
  

These verses contain two things:

• Commandments - Ask, Seek, Knock
• Promises - I will do it, your joy may be full, it will be given to you, you will find, etc.

And it's easy for us to hear these verses and think... I asked before and I did not receive. Or I sought and I did not find. Or I knocked and it was not opened for me. And this could be something I am struggling with... does God hear my prayer? And if so, why doesn't He respond?

• It might be that He didn't respond yet.
• It might be that He responded but I didn't like His response.
• It might be that He responded but I didn't recognize His response.

But how should I pray? What should my posture be? How should I approach God with my troubles, my anxieties, and my requests? What does it mean to ask in Jesus' name? Some people end every prayer with "In Jesus' name we pray. Amen." - is that what this means? Or does it mean something else?

Six points:

1. Ask, Believing
2. Ask Obediently
3. Ask Persistently
4. Ask for God's Will
5. Ask with Pure Motive
6. Ask Humbly

1 - Ask, Believing

"And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22)

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting..." (James 1:6)

• Faith is not demanding outcomes from God, it is trusting the One we ask
• "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;" (James 1:6-7)
• Example:
  • Centurion who wanted Christ to heal his servant
  • "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." (Matthew 8:13)
• Counterexample:
  • St Peter walking on water: "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." - "When he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid..." and he started to sink

2 - Ask Obediently

• Faith (Believing) includes works because faith without works is dead
  • Umbrella example
  • What are these works? 
    • Pursuing Godliness, reading the Scripture, hearing sermons, asking myself "what is God asking me to do?" Live a certain way, follow His commandments
    • Consistence in Spiritual Disciplines
    • Consistence in Liturgical Participation
• "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." (1 John 3:22)
• Example: Elijah
  • "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." (James 5:16-18)
  • St James tells us that Elijah, because he was a righteous man, his prayer was heard and accepted
  • We see the same in St HH Pope Kyrillos VI - the righteous man whose prayers did miracles
• Counterexample: Saul
  • "And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets." (1 Samuel 28:6)

3 - Ask Persistently

• "Men always ought to pray and not lose heart." (Luke 18:1)
• Persistence changes us before it changes circumstances
• "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?" (Luke 18:7)
• Sometimes we think of it backwards...
  • If I keep asking and it doesn't happen, that means it's not going to happen
  • God says the opposite... be persistent!
• Example:

  • Friend at Midnight

  • "And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs." (Luke 11:5-8)
• Sometimes we hear from people that "repetition in prayer is bad"
  • Christ prayed the same prayer three times!
  • St Paul asked three times for the thorn in the flesh to be taken away! And the Lord told him "My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness."

4 - Ask for God's Will

• "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." (1 John 5:14) 
• The best prayer is to say "Lord, let your will be done."
• Sometimes we ask for things that are not the best for us; not in our best interest
• When we pray the Unction of the Sick prayer, Abouna is praying a lot for the person in front of him to be healed and forgiven; healed in body, soul, spirit. We say Lord, as You raised the widows son and the official's daughter and raised Lazarus, raise up Your servant... and then silently, inaudibly, Abouna prays this part: "And if You advocate that his soul be taken, let it be by powerful hands of angels of light to save him from the demons of darkness. Transform him to the Paradise of joy to be with all the saints." - why? Because maybe it is not God's will to heal him. Maybe it is not God's will that he continues his life in this world. God's will is better. God's will is for our salvation!
• Example:
  • Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
  • Nebuchadnezzar is compelling them to worship his idols and he asks "And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”

  • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

• Counterexample: 
  • Moses - he asked God to let him enter the Promised Land. 

  • "I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.’

    “But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter." (Deuteronomy 3:25-26)

  • Of course, the Lord had something better in mind for Moses - he would see the Promised Land with his eyes, and then He would see Christ the Messiah and the Fulfillment of all with his eyes in the Transfiguration

5 - Ask with Pure Motive

• You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3)
• Not every desire is holy merely because it is prayed
• Example: Solomon

  • "Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days." (1 Kings 3:9-13)

• Counterexample: Simon Magus
  • "And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:18)
  • He wanted to have the power so he can be great in the sight of the people again - when he was a sorcerer, he would astonish the people and they would heed to him
  • St Peter rebukes him 
  • "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. ²² Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” (Acts 8:21-23)

6 - Ask Humbly

• "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)
• Example & Counterexample
  • Pharisee and Tax Collector

Conclusion

May the Lord grant us to offer prayers persistently, with a believing heart, doing the works of obedience, with a pure motive and with all humility. May He accept our prayers and answer them according to His will.