Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
John 16:24
Ask and receive, that your joy may be full. Do you have joy in your heart? The meaning for joy is gladness and delight. Joy is tied to a person, place, or thing. While happiness is short term, joy is said to be long lasting. Joy is also said to be a natural outcome of your faith. As a Christian, your joy should be tied to Jesus. In this passage of John chapter 16 verse 24, it is the word of Jesus speaking to his disciples, but if you have believed in who Jesus is, He is speaking to you too. This is because we are all one in the body of the Lord. Joy is selfless since it is tied to the person of Jesus. As the disciples had a relationship with Jesus, those who believe should also have a relationship with the Lord. That relationship is based on what we know about Jesus and the Father. That relationship is carried through the Holy Spirit through prayer. Believing opens the door to understanding who we are in Christ. Jesus expresses that we are one with the Father and Jesus [see John 17:21-22]. We have been baptized into one body through the Spirit [see 1 Corinthians 12:13].
When a child comes to a father for something such as asking for a new toy, what will the father say? This depends on the situation and circumstances of the family environment. The child’s role within the family and financial ability to purchase the new toy will depend on the answer. With compassion and understanding of the sensitivity of the child’s feelings, a discussion will take place as to why the child needs this toy. How does this relate to asking our Heavenly Father in Jesus name to receive what we pray for so that our joy may be full? Parents tend to spoil a child by giving them what they want, but in real life we do not always get what we want. As a parent we desire our children to always ask even though we may not always be able to give what is being asked for. There comes a time when we know what to ask for because we know we will receive what we ask. This is knowing the will of the giver. In the case of our Heavenly Father, we ask so the Son of God may be glorified through what is being ask such as healing for the body. We ask the Father for restoration to eternal glory, for safety from the world or the evil one, and that unity in the church may prevail. We know that it is in the will of God to answer these petitions.
We ask because we cannot change the situation without divine intervention. It is through divine intervention that our prayers are answered to the glory of God. This will bring joy within our heart and this joy becomes a long-lasting joy through a relationship of prayer in asking and receiving. Our prayers will always be answered when we ask with a sincere heart. Even if we do not know God’s will, we should still ask as a child. The answer will come if we are patience. Do not stop asking in prayer what you need including joy. Joy is part of the Fruits of the Spirit [see Galatians 5:22], so ask God for joy to come up within your heart. Ask God for the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that you may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified [Isaiah 61:3].
Let us rejoice with Joy Unspeakable and full of glory [see 1Peter 1:8] for answered prayer, receiving the end of our faith, and for salvation for our souls. Many times, I have asked God to send someone to help me and give me understanding and my prayer has always been answered. In fact, I have been amazed how my prayer has been answered through unforeseen divine intervention. This has bought me great joy to my soul that I want to sing that song titled, “Joy Unspeakable.” I have sung this song at railway stations in the city of Perth in Australia not knowing the real meaning of what the song meant. I have not heard it sung for quite a while, but I found on YouTube a joyous rendition for you to enjoy.
