The Effectual Prayer

We want to look at the theology of effectual prayer according to the apostle John. Effectual prayer is not the same as ceremonial, superficial, non-substantial prayer. Effectual prayer is prayer that God the Father and God the Son hear and answer. For example, I promised my grandson several days ago that I would take him to lunch on Saturday. Sure enough, on Saturday morning I received a call from him, reminding me of my promise. Although I had much to do, I took him to lunch, as I had promised. His prayer was effectual because it was according to my will, my purpose, and my promise.

We are taught six times in John 14, 15, 16, and 1 John 3 and 5 to pray for “whatever” we desire. It seems the sky is the limit; we can pray for anything we desire and we will receive it. But if we read carefully, we notice that “whatever” is limited by a number of considerations. I would like to place four of these limits before you.

1. “In My Name”

First, we are pray en tô onomati mou, “in my name,” that is, in the name of Jesus Christ. In John’s gospel we find the phrase “in my name” seven times (14:13, 14, 26; 15:16; 16:23, 24, 26).

What does it mean to pray “in my name”? We are to pray in the name of Jesus Christ only. This means all prayers not prayed in the name of Jesus only shall not be answered by our heavenly Father. Prayers prayed in any other way are not prayers to God the Father, but prayers to demons, as Paul makes clear:

Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he? (1 Cor. 10:18-22)

For example, the prayers of the prophets of Baal were not heard (see 2 Kings 18). We are to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. We have no right to appear in the presence of God in our own name.

We are proud people. No one can tell us anything, especially if we have money. We pretend we can walk into the presence of God in any way we want. But we cannot appear in the presence of God in our own name because we are sinners under the wrath of God. We stand condemned because of our sins.

What does it mean to come into the presence of God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ? It means we are coming before God the Father in the name of our mediator kinsman/redeemer, who is also our sinless, sympathizing high priest, and our prayers will be heard and answered. We can come this way because Jesus is the Lamb of God who took away our sins once and forever.

We must come to God in prayer wearing the wedding garment of Christ’s perfect righteousness. If we come in our own righteousness, we shall be bound hand and foot and thrown into hell itself (Matt. 22:11-13). Therefore, we must come having our robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must come in his name and merit, confessing Christ as our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. We can come in boldness and confidence, knowing that we have the right to enter the Most Holy Place only by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living opened for us, the person of Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

In spite of all the religions and cults proliferating today, Scripture declares, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Therefore, we must come to the Father identifying ourselves with Christ. We must come as Christians, as those who have believed on the name of Jesus Christ and entrusted themselves to him in loving self-abandoning faith. We yield ourselves to be possessed by him in whom we believe.

God does not hear the prayer of an unbeliever or of a sinning Christian. “In the name of Jesus” is more than an appellation or formula. We must live our lives in accordance with the person and work of Jesus. In other words, we pray in accordance with all that the name of Jesus stands for. “In the name of Jesus” means by the merits of Jesus and on the basis of his atoning sacrifice.

We come in the name of Jesus because the Father will not deny anything to his Son. A request made in the Son’s name is treated as if the Son himself made it. Therefore, we should not pray for anything the Son himself would not pray for. To pray in the name of Jesus is to pray as Jesus himself prayed: “Not my will but thine be done.” To pray in the name of Jesus means to pray by his express authority and in agreement with the Holy Scriptures. Our prayer should not lie outside of his name, his revelation, and his will as revealed in the Bible.

“In the name of Jesus” means we pray according to God’s plan and purpose. What is God’s plan, especially between Christ’s ascension and second coming? It is the evangelization of the world and the building up of his church by making disciples and teaching them. A prayer to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ for the fulfillment of this purpose will be answered.

“In the name of Jesus” means we must bring every thought into the captivity of Christ. Jesus is Lord of our thoughts, words, and deeds. “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” means we worship him as God. “Lord” means he is our God, Savior, Prophet, Priest, and King. We cannot receive him as Savior without receiving him first as Lord, God, and King of the universe and of our life.

We cannot pray effectually if we are not Christians or are rebellious Christians. We must repent and believe in the name of Jesus Christ and be saved. Then we can pray effectually.

2. The Father’s Glory

“Whatever” we desire in prayer is also governed by the Father’s glory. Effectual prayers are those limited by the glory of God. The ultimate purpose of our prayers should be the glory of God. God lives in unapproachable light. He is essentially glorious, majestic, and radiant. Every time we sin, we are attempting to decrease the glory of God.

God is committed to only one thing: the manifestation of his own glory. All creation must acknowledge the glory of God. Heaven and earth declare the glory of God, and reasoning beings are to do the same. Achan the thief was ordered to give glory to God by confessing his sins and receiving his just punishment. In the prophecy of Isaiah, the Lord says, “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols” (Isa. 42:8). Elsewhere he speaks of “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made . . . the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (Isa. 43:7, 21). We are given existence and sustenance by God so that we may bring glory to his name.

Peter also spoke of this: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9).

Both in saving and judging, God receives glory. Pharaoh refused to honor the Lord and questioned Moses: “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him?” (Ex. 5:2). The Lord heard this and came to visit Pharaoh. In his omnipotence he defeated Pharaoh and his gods, chariots, army, and firstborn.

Every time we challenge God, he will confront and defeat us. He must do so for his own glory. The Lord declared concerning Pharaoh: “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. . . . I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen” (Ex. 14:4, 17-18).

Are you challenging God by defying his law? He will gain glory for himself by defeating you. Whether now or far in the future, you will have to meet with him. He wants all who oppose him to know that he is the Lord. In Exodus 15:3 Moses declared that the Lord is a warrior who fights and wins. Who are we but grass, morning mist, dust, and empty nothings? When arrogant people challenge the omnipotent God, he comes to meet with us. He will not rest until he gains glory for himself.

If our purpose is not God’s glory, but our own pleasure, God will not answer our prayers. The ultimate purpose of our prayer has to be the glory of God. Jesus declared, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. . . . If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory” (John 14:13; 15:7).

Jesus taught us to pray, and our prayer is based on our relationship to the heavenly Father. Only children come into the Father’s presence to pray. Thus, if you are a child of God, you will pray, “Hallowed be thy name. May you be glorified, praised, obeyed, honored, worshiped, and may your will be done in me and in my family, in the church, and in the world, as it is done in heaven.”

“Hallowed be thy name” is the first petition of a true child of God. God’s Son glorified his Father’s name through his obedience, which we see in John 13:31 and 17:1, 4: “When [Judas] was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.’. . . Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. . . . I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

Jesus never did one thing to displease the Father and we are to follow his pattern. We must live to glorify our heavenly Father so that we can say with Christ at the end of our lives, “I have glorified thee by doing your will-though never perfectly.” The chief end of man is to glorify and obey God exactly, immediately, and with gladness, that we may enjoy him forever. Our purpose is to obey God, not to gain money, position, power, and possessions. Think of Stephen, who was stoned to death for God’s glory; James, who was beheaded for God’s glory; Peter, who was crucified for God’s glory; Paul, who was killed by the sword for God’s glory. Above all, think of Jesus, the Son of God, who was crucified for God’s glory and for our eternal salvation.

Jesus exhorts, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33, KJV). We are to deny ourselves, take up the cross daily, and follow him that we may glorify the Father and the Son. So Paul tells us, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

May our prayers be subordinated to God’s glory! To not do so will only bring us misery. May we determine today that we do not want from God anything that will not promote God’s glory in our lives and in this world.

3. Our Fruitfulness

“Whatever” we ask is also limited by our fruitfulness. Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit” (John 15:7-8). Fruit-bearing, which simply means obedience to the will of God, is not optional for a Christian. Many preachers say that obedience is optional and that we can go to heaven without bearing fruit. This is called antinomianism. But fruit-bearing is the necessary evidence that God has united us with Christ and that we have truly entrusted ourselves to him. As the grace of God and life of Christ flow into us, they are manifested in our increasing fruitfulness. As Jesus says, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit.”

God the Father is a gardener who has planted us into Christ. We are united to Christ as branches are united to the vine. Such branches bring forth fruit; then they are pruned to bring forth more fruit and much fruit. We produce fruit through the life of Christ flowing into us. Therefore, without Christ we can do nothing that will glorify God. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling because it is God who works in us to will and to do his good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). Indwelt by the Spirit of Christ, we bring forth fruit for the joy and glory of the Father who has planted us and who visits us, like a gardener looking for fruit. When he finds plenty, he is overjoyed, honored, and glorified. That is the purpose of the Christian life.

What is the fruit the Father is seeking? It is the fruit of Christlikeness, the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is the fruit of conforming to the image of Christ, the fruit of divine character. It is also the fruit of conduct, of good works. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10).

Fruit is simply obedience to God’s will; therefore, no fruit means no glory to God. Fruitless people are not true Christians; rather, they are self-centered hedonists who use God for their own glory in the world. All who believe in Jesus Christ for health, wealth, power and fame have nothing to do with true Christianity. James tells us, “When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3).

What happens to fruitless trees? They are cursed, and their fruitless branches are cut off, collected, and cast into the fire by God. They are nominal Christians who do not abide in Christ or obey him. They are graceless, false confessors. They are lawless antinomians to whom Christ will say on the last day, “Depart from me.” Their prayers are ineffectual and unheard; they do not go beyond the ceiling. They pray with evil motives to spend on their own lusts. They are not Christ’s disciples.

We must also realize that the fruit we bear is not for ourselves; it is for God and others. Not only is there fruit of character and conduct, but there is also fruit of converts. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:18-19). Paul told the Romans, “I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles” (Rom. 1:13).

We have a responsibility to bring forth fruit that will remain (John 15:16). Too many churches are trying to grow their congregations without preaching the whole gospel. They attract people by preaching a glamorized gospel that rejects sin, repentance, obedience, hell, and judgment. But such fruit shall not remain.

We must bear fruit by abiding in Christ and obeying his words. Nine times in John 15:4-10 we are told to abide in Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ always works and brings forth fruit. The idea of Christianity without the fruit of obedience to Christ is a doctrine of demons. (PGM) Only the good soil, which understood the true gospel, with patience brought forth fruit-thirty, sixty, and hundredfold. We must abide in Jesus and bear fruit.

Our fruitfulness comes from God (Hos. 14:8). Paul remarks, “You also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God” (Rom. 7:4). Where grace flows, there shall be fruit. Paul also says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).

4. Our Happiness

“In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask, and you will receive so that your joy may be full” (John 16:23-24, author’s translation). Jesus is saying, “Don’t pray unless your requests will make you fully happy and fill you to overflowing with joy.” God is interested in our full happiness. Jesus says, “that your joy may be full.” It is a perfect passive participle (peplêrômenê), meaning “that you will be in a state of fullness of happiness forevermore.”

The way to happiness is to seek God’s glory in all that we do. Our heavenly Father, whom we glorify through obedience to his will, in turn does all things for our complete, eternal happiness. God could have destroyed this fallen, wretched world. But God has chosen to make his elect sinners happy by sacrificing his own Son on the cross.

The triune God is committed to our unending happiness. We must take time to consider this because we do not naturally want to believe it. But the Bible does not make sense if that is not God’s eternal plan and purpose.

We seek God’s glory by praying to God in the name of his Son. When we pray to God in the name of his Son, God is glorified. God seeks to make us fully happy as we bear much fruit and abide in his Son. If we seek his glory, he seeks our happiness.

God hears our prayers so that we can be joyful. Not only did God give us being, but he also makes us happy by giving us food, clothing, housing, healing, spouses, children, and the church. God gave us our bodies, which need to be supported and sustained by God. We need money, and he gives us money through jobs, which we do with God-given knowledge and health. He takes care of our bodies as well as our eternal souls. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4, KJV).

Food and clothing do not ultimately make us happy. Ultimately we can only be made happy by God’s presence. Life does not consist in things that we possess. Jesus declares, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:21). The revelation of Jesus Christ to our soul makes us extremely happy. “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23).

David asserts, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Ps. 16:11). We are created to find rest, peace, and happiness in God. He also writes, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Ps. 27:4). We only need one thing, and it is not gold, silver, houses, or other possessions. How many people think that “stuff” will somehow make them happy! But only God can make us truly happy. The psalmist declares, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:25-26). Is this your testimony?

The prophet Habakkuk proclaims, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights” (Hab. 3:17-19). And John declares, “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make your joy complete” (1 John 1:3-4). Fullness of joy is being in fellowship with God and his people.

When Jesus lived on this earth, he was the happiest person because he continuously enjoyed the presence of the Father. But look at his cry of dereliction from the cross when that fellowship was cut off for three hours: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). Like Jesus, our fullness of joy comes from the presence of God. Christ died on the cross to bring us who were far from God near to him so that we could behold him and rejoice.

I have been praying, “Lord, increase my love for you.” I do not pray for money or anything else. We are to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and I know I am not doing that. So this is my prayer, and I pray that all of us may experience the presence of God and be delighted with his presence.

The prerequisite for a good death is increased love for God. Otherwise, we do not want to die. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). That is why we must learn to love God here so that when God calls us, we will say, “Yes, I want to go, ‘for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain'” (Phil. 1:21).

Points of Application

Let us then look at some applications of this teaching on prayer.

1. Only Christians can pray effectually. Are you a Christian? If not, your prayer will not be heard. Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Only then you can pray effectually.
2. Pray at set times in a set place daily. If prayer is a haphazard and superficial activity that you occasionally fit into your busy life, you are not a Christian; you do not need God. Daniel prayed three times a day, but modern man is too rich, too full, and too self-sufficient to pray. To pray effectually, find a certain time and a set place to pray daily.
3. Pray for yourself, your family, your friends, your church, your missionaries, your government, and above all, for sinners to be saved. Begin by praying that your unbelieving relatives will be saved. This is a proper prayer, for it is the will of God that people are saved. Yes, you are going to heaven, but you will be happier if you take a few people with you.
4. Pray in the will of God, which is found in the Scriptures. Those who pray effectually are those who seriously study the Bible to discover God’s will. Paul says, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Eph. 5:17).
5. Pray in faith, knowing that the eternal, personal God, our Savior, hears your prayers. I believe in a God who hears and answers prayer. When I entered into ministry, I prayed, and God gave me money and everything else I needed, without me having to ask others. Our God is interested in our entire life, both body and soul. Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). Elsewhere we read, “Anyone who comes to [God] must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6).
6. Pray in relational unity and harmony. The early church came together “in one accord” (Acts 2:46). Jesus exhorts us, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23-24), meaning, “then come and pray.” Never think that God will hear our prayer when we have relational problems. Peter states, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Pet. 3:7). James says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other” (James 5:16).
7. Pray in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18; Jude 20). We come to the Father through Jesus Christ in the energy and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God will give you utterance. He will tell you what to pray for and you will discover freedom in prayer, just as the Spirit gives freedom in singing and preaching. The Holy Spirit will come upon you and stimulate to pray, and God will hear that prayer.
8. Pray for God’s glory, not for selfish interests (James 4:3). Too many of our prayers are self-centered requests that indulge our own pleasures. Such prayers have nothing to do with the glory of God.
9. Recognize that if we do not like to pray, God will help us, whether we like it or not. The prophet Zechariah says: “‘In the whole land,’ declares the LORD, ‘two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it.'” This third is the elect of God, but they are lazy and do not want to pray, so God helps them. The Lord continues: “‘This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God'” (Zech. 13:8-9). God takes us through fire to make us dependent on him and not sufficient in ourselves. When this happens, we will pray. Therefore, let us thank God for any pain, persecution, and other sufferings we may go through. The purpose of all these experiences is that we will learn to pray. John Calvin comments on these verses from Zechariah 13: “It is therefore necessary that we should be subject, from first to last, to the scourges of God, in order that we may from the heart call on him; for our hearts are enfeebled by prosperity, so that we cannot make the effort to pray.”¹ People do not pray when they have money, health, and peace. And I would add to Calvin: “Our hearts are enabled by adversity so we will pray earnestly and effectually.” Thank God for all the scourges and the pain! Thank God for the fiery trials that we go through! They are God’s way of helping his people pray.
10. Pray based on God’s promises. The Bible is full of God’s promises and we can use them as the basis for our prayers: “Lord, please do as you have promised.” Joshua 21:44-45 reads: “The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (see also Josh. 23:14). What God promises, he will do. “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind” (Num. 23:19). So we pray, “Lord, you promised to give us food. Please give us food. You feed the birds; we are greater than birds.” Remember David prayed, “And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you” (2 Sam. 7:25-26). That is a good prayer. Do not put words into God’s mouth. Just tell him, “This is what you promised.” God has made thousands of promises for his people. A good Bible student knows that. Effectual prayer is turning God’s word back to him: “You said you would do it for me,” and he does it. Our heavenly Father likes such confidence. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20).
11. Expect an answer. If we do not expect God to answer our prayers, we are treating him with contempt. We were praying in a ceremonial, non-substantial way. Pray and expect an answer, and then thank God for answering your prayers.
12. Pray, knowing that God answers in ways that glorify himself, not necessarily in the ways we desire. Paul prayed three times that God would remove the thorn, the messenger of Satan. God answered and said, “No. I know what is good for you. I gave you this for a purpose, that you may not become proud and independent. But my grace is sufficient for you.” And Paul said, “Amen. Therefore, I will glory in my weaknesses, for when I am weak, then I am strong” (see 2 Cor. 12:7-10). Be open for God to answer your prayers in ways that are different than what you expected but in ways that will glorify his name and that are good for you.

May God help us to learn to pray! May we as God’s children speak daily to our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ in the energy and guidance of the Holy Spirit. And in the days ahead, may we be faithful to practice these principles of prayer so that God will be glorified through answering our prayers and making us happy.

¹ Quoted by John Piper, “Put in the Fire for the Sake of Prayer,” December 28, 2008 (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2008/3468/)