“And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” (1 John 3:22 ESV)
The work of missions depends entirely on the work of God. It is the responsibility of the missionary to study the Word of God and to be bold in his or her presentation of the gospel, but that will not bear any true fruit without the attending work of the Spirit. All the labors of every missionary would be in vain unless the Lord is pleased to bring fruit.
This may seem like it leaves missionaries in a difficult position. They give their lives to go, in many cases, to places continents away from their home to preach the gospel to those who may hate their message, all with no guarantee of success. They may labor for their entire lives and never see a single convert.
So, what motivates them to go? Their obedience to God’s command, love for the lost, and confidence that God will indeed bring fruit drive them forward. While human effort does not ensure the conversion of sinners, it is the means by which God ordinarily brings the lost to saving faith. God has promised to bless the teaching of his Word, and that teaching is the single most important tool in the missionary’s toolbox.
As Paul says in Romans,
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? (10:14-15).
The one who preaches, then, does not place his confidence in his preaching but in the one about whom he teaches. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:23, “we preach Christ crucified,” and our ministry belongs to Christ.
Preaching the gospel is not the only way we labor, however. We join our efforts with earnest prayer that God will work in hearts and lives for his kingdom. It is prayers like these that John refers to in 1 John 3:22.
When John says, “whatever we ask we receive from him,” he is not offering some sort of secret incantation that we can recite to get anything we want. Prayer is not the key that unlocks the fulfillment of all our desires. Rather, he is contrasting the faith by which we appeal to God with the evil conscience he has just addressed. The one who comes to God in faith and prays with confidence could hardly be more different than the one who cowers from God because of the erroneous condemnation of his or her own heart.
Prayer produces fruit not because it changes the mind of God, but because God is pleased to grant the requests of his children.
Therefore, missionaries who are faithful in their labors do not despair because of their inherent inability to change even a single heart. Rather, they rejoice in confidence because they know that they are serving an omnipotent God and, when their labors are surrounded by prayer, that their Father in heaven hears them and is pleased to grant their requests.
Our prayers for missionaries have a similar effect, because even those who cannot go or are not called to go can be intimately involved in the labor of missions by interceding before God on behalf of those who do.
Also, John’s promise is not universal in scope. There are times when we pray in earnest faith but do not receive what we ask. That does not mean God’s Word has failed but simply that God has determined that what we asked is not for our best and his glory. But when we ask God for what he has promised to give, we can have full confidence that he will answer. Namely, when we pray that the Lord will save his elect from among all nations, we know that he will answer, because he has already promised that he would.
When John adds that we receive what we ask for “because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him,” he is not saying that we need to attain a certain degree of holiness before God will hear our prayer. Rather, when we come to God in prayer, while living in accordance with what God has commanded, our prayers will be rightly aligned. If we are walking in habitual and unrepentant sin, what reason would we have to believe that our prayers will be well-received? Just as a disobedient child should not expect to receive a lollipop from his parent, a professing Christian who is not walking in obedience should not expect to receive that for which he asks.
But when we do walk in obedience, our lives are a pleasing aroma to the Lord, and the prayers we offer perfectly reflect the character of a child who delights to obey his Father.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for making a way for us to present our requests to you. Thank you that we can have full confidence that you hear us and that, when we pray for what you have promised to give, we can expectantly wait for your answer.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for discipleship initiatives in South Asia.
- Wednesday: Pray for missionaries serving in Zambia.
- Thursday: Pray for all those participating in short-term medical missions trips.
- Friday: Pray for missionaries training other believers to share the gospel with grace and truth with LGBTQ individuals.
- Saturday: Pray for more laborers to be sent into the harvest field.
- Sunday: Pray for missionaries serving in Romania.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries serving in educational ministries.
Featured Opportunity to Serve:
Healthcare Personnel
Location: Bangladesh
A variety of medical personnel, including physicians, surgeons, nurses, and physical therapists, are urgently needed to serve at our partner hospital, Memorial Christian Hospital, in Bangladesh. Both short-term and long-term opportunities are available.
