Day 20

“The Cross in Prayer”

“…Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24 NIV)

WE TOO OFTEN think of the Cross of Christ as something we have to get through, yet we get through for the purpose of getting into it. ‬‬‬‬The Cross represents only one thing for us—complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ—and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬“Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matt. 6:8 NKJV). Then why should we ask? The point of prayer is not to get answers from God, but to have mature and complete harmony with Him. If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with God. Know this, we receive an answer every time we pray, but most of the time, it does not come in our preferred method. It’s our spiritual irritation that reveals our resistance to identify ourselves with Jesus in prayer. Our identity in Christ isn’t about proving that He answers prayer, but on the contrary, to be living examples and trophies of God’s grace. “…I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you…” (John 16: 26–27 NIV). We must ask ourselves, have we reached a level of intimacy with the Spirit such that the only thing accounting for our prayer life is that it has become one with the prayer life of Christ? Has our Lord exchanged your life with His essential life? If so, then “in that day” you will be so closely identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction. When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of being tempted to place the blame on someone else. That is always evidence of Satan’s entrapment. When it seems as though we have no answer, there is always a reason—God uses these times to give us individually deep personal instruction, and it is not for anyone else but you.