WHAT DID JESUS REQUEST?

Can we ask God for anything? Sure, Jesus said in John 14:13, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do..” but did He really mean whatever? Sometimes, we might find ourselves wondering if we are asking for the right thing when we pray. It can be helpful to see what godly people in the Bible requested and learn from what they did. When considering the most godly people in the Bible, Jesus obviously is the number one by a long shot! So what things did Jesus ask God for?

The Bible records a lot of times when Jesus prayed, but the majority of what He said during prayer time was likely done in private so there actually aren’t that many recorded prayers in the Bible. Another reason not much is recorded might be because people would be inclined to mindlessly repeat the prayers or use them as a genie in a bottle like some people do with The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew. Even in the few prayers that are included, Jesus only asked for requests on three occasions.

Jesus asked for God the Father to be glorified. During holy week, Jesus predicts his death in front of His disciples and some worshipping Greeks. Here it is in John 12:27-28: “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again’”.

Jesus asked for God’s will to be done above His own. Right before he was betrayed and handed over to be crucified, Jesus was praying with His disciples in the Garden. Here it is in Matthew 26:39, 42 & Luke 22:41-42: “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will’… Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done’… And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done’”.

The longest prayer of Jesus’ that we have in the Bible is in John 17. It’s a bit long to put in this post, but here is a list of the things Jesus requests:
-“Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you” (vs. 1)
-“Glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed (vs. 5)
-“Keep them in your name” (vs. 11)
-“that they may be one, even as we are” (vs. 11)
-“that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves (vs. 13)
-“keep them from the evil one.” (vs. 15)
-“Sanctify them in the truth (vs. 17)
-“that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (vs. 20-21)
-“that they… may be with me where I am, to see my glory (vs. 23-24)
It is a pretty amazing prayer because when Jesus says “them” He is talking not just about His current disciples, but all believers to come which includes you and me (John 17:20). He was praying for us almost 2000 years before we were alive!

Take a moment and look at the connections between Jesus’ requests. He pretty much focuses on bringing God glory and being in the will of God. As we will see in future posts, it is ok to ask for more “worldly” things like health and provisions, but are we asking for those things that God might be glorified? Remember John 14:13 from the first paragraph? Here’s the full verse: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Oh. So… when we ask for things, they should be things that will glorify God. When you pray this week, after each request, consider asking for God to be glorified in that situation. Hopefully this will help us be more focused on the things of God and less focused on the things of this world.

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