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• Many Christians have spent much time seeking answers to prayers, but have not received. The reason may simply be that they are not “abiding” in His Word.

It is often difficult to pause from our busy lives and spend time with the Lord. We all want to be productive. But that busyness that is keeping us from the Word may be the thing that keeps us from receiving answers to prayer. Let’s examine what Jesus told the disciples.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:7

Beloved, are you abiding in Jesus? Menō is the Greek word for abide. It means “to continue to be.” So, John 15:7 is saying: “If you continue to be in Me (spend time with Me) daily, and My words continue to be in you daily, you shall ask for whatever you need or desire, and you shall have it.”

In other words, we must not let His Word depart from our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our hearts. We must meditate on it day and night, and spend quite time with the Lord. We must listen for that still, small voice to guide us, the same way that it guided Elijah:

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:  And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

I Kings 19:11-13

God’s prophet, Elijah, heard that still, small voice, because he abided in the Lord, and the Lord in Him. Because Elijah spent time with the Lord, he was able to recognize the Lord’s voice when he heard it.

Too often, when the Lord speaks to us, we don’t recognize His voice because we aren’t spending enough time with Him. This can make all of our productivity counterproductive.

Counterproductive means “tending to hinder the attainment of a desired goal.” Sometimes we are trying so hard to serve the Lord with our physical efforts that we neglect the spiritual efforts that are needed for true success, thus hindering our goal of blessing the Lord.

Jesus told His disiples:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:33

The Lord wants for us to have what we desire, and we can have those things by abiding in His Word.

Jesus confirmed this:

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 15:16

The word fruit is the English translation of the Greek word karpos, which refers to the fitting of souls for eternal life. Thus, when we stay connected to Jesus, and do the works of the Lord, with the ultimate goal of bringing souls to salvation in Jesus Christ, then Kingdom laws indicate that we can receive what things soever we desire.

Busyness may yield physical productivity, but if we aren’t being productive in our spiritual life, we will miss God’s abundant blessings. We all fall into that trap, thinking, “I don’t have time to stop and pray,” but beloved, it is that quite time with the Lord that keeps us close to Him so that we may receive all that we need and desire.

Try this exercise: endeavor to increase the amount of time that you are spending with the Lord by 30 minutes every day. After one week, increase it by another 30 minutes. As you spend more time with Him, you will begin to see more fruit of your labors, and you will wonder why you didn’t do this sooner. Abiding in Him will bring you the victory that you need!

Say this faith declaration out loud: Dear Lord, thank You for being so good to me, and desiring to give me all that I need and want. I will seek You more, as I truly desire to abide in You, knowing that it is only then that I can hear You when You speak to me. Thank You for your mercy and kindness. Amen.

Scripture Reading:

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15:5

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:6

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you …

James 4:8

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