What is Your Whatever?

As I think about some of the challenges that surfaced in my own life this week, I’ve found myself asking a very honest question—sometimes out loud and sometimes quietly in prayer: Can I really trust what Jesus says? Can I trust the words Scripture records him speaking, especially those astonishing invitations to ask—to bring him what I need, what I hope for, even what feels impossible? When Jesus says, “Ask,” does he really mean it? And if he does, what does it look like for me to take him at his word?

Jesus makes an astonishing promise in John 14:13–14: “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.”

Anything. Whatever. What is your whatever right now?

Maybe it is healing for someone you love. Maybe it is wisdom about a decision, restoration of a relationship, provision, peace, or the return of someone you love to faith. Maybe it is a prayer you've carried for so long that you've almost stopped praying it.

This week, Lectio 365 led us through some of Scripture's great prayers. Solomon asked for wisdom. Elijah cried, “Answer me, LORD!” David poured out worship. Again and again, God's people approached him boldly, reminded him of his promises, and asked him to act.

But there was something else present: devotion alongside desire.

Their prayers were rooted in who God is.

Our 730+ readings show us another side of prayer. As Israel entered the Promised Land, God's promises required their participation. The priests had to step into the Jordan. Joshua had to obey instructions that didn't always make sense. Rahab had to hang the scarlet cord. And in Joshua 9, Israel made a significant mistake because they evaluated the situation themselves but “did not inquire of the LORD.”

Sometimes our prayers ask God to move when God is asking us to move.

And sometimes, like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, we want to remain where God met us yesterday. Peter wanted to build shelters and preserve the mountaintop experience. Instead, the Father said, “This is my Son…Listen to him.”

Jesus led them back down the mountain.

God's faithfulness yesterday gives us courage, but following Jesus always leads us into today.

So bring your whatever to God. Jesus invites us to pray boldly. Ask for the miracle. Ask for healing. Ask for wisdom. Ask God to fulfill his promises.

But alongside that prayer, try another:

Jesus, shape my whatever.

Teach me to desire what you desire. Open my eyes to what you're doing. Show me where you're moving. Give me courage to follow. And above everything I want from you, teach me to want you.

Asking with you,

Pastor T

Spiritual Practice: Open-Handed Whatever

Sit quietly before God with your hands closed. Name the “whatever” you are carrying. Don't edit it or spiritualize it. Simply tell Jesus what you want.

Then slowly open your hands.

Pray:

Jesus, this is my whatever. I ask boldly because you love me. But I hold it with open hands because I trust you. Purify my desires. Open the eyes of my heart. Show me where you are working and give me courage to follow. Above all that I want from you, teach me to want you.

Remain quietly with God for several minutes.

Gather

1. What is the “whatever” you are bringing before God right now?

2. Where might God be asking you to take a step rather than simply wait for an answer?

3. Is there a place, season, or experience from the past that you are tempted to recreate instead of asking where Jesus is leading you now?

4. How might your prayers change if the deepest purpose of “whatever you ask” is “so that the Son can bring glory to the Father”?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, teach us to pray boldly, listen carefully, see clearly, and follow faithfully. Shape our desires until what we want increasingly reflects what you want. Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Amen.