Attaining Unlimited Power Requires Constant Communion with Jesus
In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give you. — 1 Kings 3:5
If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you. — John 15:7
Author
Charles Spurgeon
Summary: Abiding in Jesus means maintaining a living, loving, conscious, and obedient union with Him, continually receiving His life as the branch receives life from the vine. Powerful prayer springs from this constant communion: our heart abides in love, our mind is rooted in faith, and our hope is grounded in the Word. For Jesus to hear our petitions, we must listen to His voice and allow His truths, His precepts, and the work of His Spirit to live within us and shape our character. When we submit our will to the Lord’s command, we can ask freely and effectively. Whoever desires to intercede for the church and the world must treasure and carefully obey His words.
To abide in Jesus is never to leave Him for another love or another object, but rather to remain in a living, loving, conscious, and willing union with Him. The branch is not only always close to the stem, but is also always receiving life and fruitfulness from it. All true believers abide in Christ in one sense; but there is a higher meaning that we must know before we can attain unlimited power at the throne. “Ask whatever you wish” is for the ‘Enochs’ who walk with God, for the ‘Johns’ who recline upon the Lord’s breast, for those whose union with Christ leads them into constant communion.
The heart must abide in love, the mind must be rooted in faith, hope must be grounded in the Word, and the whole person must be united to the Lord, for otherwise it would be dangerous for us to be entrusted with the power of prayer. Carte blanche (complete freedom) can be granted only to someone whose very life is: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Oh, you who break your communion, how much power you lose! If you wish to be powerful in your supplications, the Lord Himself must abide in you, and you in Him.
Take careful note that we must listen to Jesus speak if we expect Him to listen to us speak. If we have no ear for Christ, He will have no ear for us. In proportion as we hear, we shall be heard.
Moreover, everything we hear must abide, must live within us, and must remain in our character as a force and a power. We must receive the truths that Jesus taught, the precepts He proclaimed, and the movements of His Spirit within us; otherwise, we shall have no power before the mercy seat. If we received our Lord’s words and they remained in us, what an unlimited field of privilege would be opened to us! Our will shall be fulfilled through prayer because we have already submitted our will to the Lord’s command. In this way the ‘Elijahs’ are trained to handle the keys of heaven and to close or open the clouds. Such a man is worth a thousand ordinary Christians.
Do we humbly desire to be intercessors on behalf of the church and the world and, like Luther, to be able to receive from the Lord whatever we wish? Then we must incline our ear to the voice of the Beloved, treasure His words, and obey them carefully. Whoever wishes to pray effectively must “listen attentively.”
Source: http://www.spurgeon.com.mx/chequera/meditames/febrero.pdf
The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith. Translated by Allan Román.