Believe - Expect - Receive

The season was nearly half way over and Pete Rose was on a hitting streak. A reporter asked for an interview following a difficult loss. He said to Rose, “You need 78 hits to break Ty Cobb’s record. How many times at bat will you need to get 78 hits?”

“Seventy-eight,” came his quick reply.

“Come on,” said the reporter. “You don’t expect to get 78 hits in 78 times at bat, do you?”

“Every time I step up to the plate,” said Rose, “I expect to get a hit! If I don’t expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter’s box.”

As he was in playing baseball, so ought we be in our prayer life! Every time we go to the Lord in prayer we must learn to expect results. Otherwise, why pray?

Jesus said, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it for you so that the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son.” Expecting results in prayer could not be explained more clearly! If we ask in His name, He will grant our requests.

The problem, then, seems to be either/or. Either our prayers are not consistent with what is included in the “name” of Jesus or we are not asking. To “ask in His name” means that our prayer requests are consistent with What and Who Jesus represented. If when I pray, I know that God cannot and will not be able to bless what I am asking for, or if my request will not honor and glorify Him, I cannot expect Him to grant my request when I pray.

Prayer: Help us, Heavenly Father, to understand what it means to “ask in Your name” so that when we pray in faith believing, we can expect Your blessings. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: John 14:13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.