23 “In that day you will not ask me anything. Truly I tell you, anything you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. (John 16:23-24 CSB)
Do your prayers consist mostly of personal or temporal needs or of spiritual needs?
What do you think Jesus was wanting us to pray for in our scripture today? What do you think He knew the Father would grant if asked in Jesus name?
If we really consider the content of our prayers I suspect yours, like mine, more often consist of a list of personal needs. Some may be spiritual in nature, but for the most part, if we are honest, tend to be our laundry list of wants.
Jesus wanted us praying for the spiritual much more than the temporal. We may pray for our brother or sisters well being, or health, but do we pray for their spiritual health? Do we take time to pray for our children’s spiritual health? Do we pray that their spiritual well being is so strong that it can take them through any physical need?
I will venture we focus on the physical and not the spiritual.
We want God to fix things, situations, circumstances, not fix us. When it is we, our spiritual well being, which is truly most important. It is others spiritual well being which serves them best.
For if our spiritual well being is in good shape, we will want what God wants.
