July 20, 2025
Today we’re starting a brand new message series about the most misused verses of the Bible. They don’t mean what you might think. They get twisted to where we’re believing something that God didn’t intend. Next week is “Judge not or you will be judged.” Week three is, “I know the plans I have for you, to prosper you and not to harm you.” And the last week is, “money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Today, we’re talking about the Scripture verse where Jesus says, “I will do whatever you ask in my name.” Sounds great, right? Just ask and Jesus will give you anything! You don’t get three wishes like a genie gives, Jesus promises you anything! But that’s not what Jesus was saying. When we come to God in prayer and ask for something, Jesus never teaches us to pray selfishly, he teaches us to pray a surrendering prayer.
I want to start off with a story about when I was a kid. I took swimming lessons, but I wouldn’t put my head under water. I was afraid to! My oldest brother, Ed, is 10 years older than me. He loved to tease. He thought I should just stick my head underwater; it’s no big deal. To help me, when we were at the pool, he would dunk me underwater! I was terrified when he did that! One day, I was minding my own business in the shallow end, and he comes over. I know he is going to push my head underwater. I’m frightened so I grab him around the neck. I actually choke him so he can’t breathe! I didn’t mean to! I didn’t know I could choke him! Ed gets away from me as fast as he can and never dunks me again!
Eventually I surrendered my fear and put my head underwater. Over time, I learned to love swimming! I am so glad I am no longer afraid of water, can go boating, jump in the ocean, a lake, a swimming pool or a river.
I’m not the only kid who had a fear of putting their head under water. But what happens if we don’t let that fear go? If we don’t put our head under? We miss out on the fun of swimming! To learn to swim, it requires surrender. Surrender to a swim instructor or parent who says, “You can do it. It will be ok!” If we don’t surrender, we miss out.
Prayer is a little like swimming. Jesus’ followers listened to Jesus pray, and they thought, wow, he prays differently! It’s like he prays to the heart of God, it’s so deep! They asked Jesus, teach us to pray! And Jesus taught them! In Matthew 6:9, Jesus says, “this is how you should pray.” And he gives them the Lord’s prayer.
The Lord’s prayer is a prayer of surrender! Jesus says, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” We’re praying to God who is our father, our loving parent, who created us and loves us deeply. We praise him that he is great. Jesus says, “hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This is surrender to God, God, may all you want happen! May the world be like you want. Your way is best! It is the opposite of how we often pray! We ask God to do whatever we ask in his name! We want to be in control! God, grant my wishes, give me whatever I ask! That’s what I want, not God’s kingdom and God’s will! But Jesus teaches us that prayer is not about my kingdom or your kingdom. It’s about surrendering to God’s kingdom.
Just as surrendering and putting your head under water opens you up to a world you never would have experienced, praying for God’s kingdom and surrendering to his way opens up a world you never would have known existed! You go deeper spiritually. Going deeper doesn’t have to do with knowing more about the Bible. It has everything to do with surrender, letting go of fear, and praying, before you even know what God’s will is, “God, thy will be done!”
Jesus says to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He’s saying don’t pray for tomorrow! Just ask God for food for today. Jesus is thinking of a thousand years before, when God gave the Israelites manna they could collect for the day and make into bread. They learned to trust that God would give them manna each day, and not to be greedy and collect more manna than they needed. If they did collect more than they needed, it went bad. Just about all of us have had some great need we bring to God, like our health or the health of our family, a financial need, or a deep hurt. You bring that to God in prayer. And you are reminded of how much you depend on God and how little control you have over the what’s most important to you in life. Today we are richer than people back then were. Praying for bread for today helps us remember how dependent we are on God for each day.
Next Jesus says to pray, “forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us!” That is real surrender! We’re expected to forgive other people. After the last verses of the Lord’s prayer Jesus says, “if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins!” Wow! We have very good reasons not to forgive others! Abuse, someone stole from us or lied about us. Forgiveness doesn’t mean we have to get back in relationship with that person. It means we surrender our anger and release them from a debt they may never be able to pay. It means we let go of bitterness, resentment or revenge that we hold onto when we refuse to forgive. You know people who had every reason not to forgive. But they forgave. Think of the shooting of children in an Amish schoolhouse 19 years ago. Children died or were injured. The Amish community forgave the shooter immediately, attended his funeral, comforted his widow and helped her financially. They aren’t caught in the past! They are living a surrendered life! Prayer isn’t about my kingdom. It’s surrendering to God’s kingdom.
When Jesus prayed, he prayed with an attitude of surrender to God’s will, not his will. So, when we read John 14:14, “I’ll give you whatever you ask,” remember that Jesus taught us to pray in surrender or our will.
When we look at what comes right before John 14:14, we see Jesus is reassuring his followers, knowing he would die and go to heaven. He tells them, “In my father’s house are many rooms, and I go there to prepare a place for you.”
In verse 12 Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” Then Jesus says, 13” And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Jesus is promising to help his followers as they start the church and work miracles and bring people to know God. Jesus promises whatever help they need for spreading the good news. He does not promise, I’ll give you whatever you want, just because you want it. Prayer isn’t just about my kingdom. It’s surrendering to God’s kingdom.
Prayer is about surrender. Still, God wants us to come to him with prayer requests. Jesus says in Matthew 7:10-11, “If your kid asks for a fish, will you give him a snake? No! If you who are evil give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” God loves you and provides for you and wants you to ask Him for what you need.
My challenge for you this week is to pray the Lord’s prayer, paying attention to what you are saying, praying it as a prayer of surrender!
Does Jesus promise to give you everything you ask for? No. He promises that God is your good and loving parent, who cares for you. God’s idea of you living your best life includes you forgiving others, even when it’s hard. Your heavenly Father provides health and strength and daily bread, but not too much! Sometimes a person can have too much and forget Him. So, there’s some good that comes from not having whatever you want. Prayer isn’t just about my kingdom or your kingdom. It’s surrendering to God’s kingdom, and discovering, that surrendering to God gives you the best life: God’s peace, and joy! Jesus promises you will do great things in God’s name, even though you don’t get whatever you want. Amen.
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