“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:1-2, 4-5, 7-9 NASB1995)
God desires an intimate relationship with us as believers. He desires to speak to us, lead us, and guide us. We arrive at this place of intimacy with God through abiding in Christ. Far too often, we operate in this life in our strength, not realizing all that we are and ever will be able to do rests on Christ living through us. When we truly acknowledge that our very lives come from being connected to Christ, we cease from the strivings and anxieties resulting in not trusting Him.
In the 15th chapter of John, Jesus Himself gave us a vivid picture of what life in Christ is. Our very existence and worth are found in our connection to the Vine. The life of Christ flows into believers as the branches bear the fruit of the Vine. Whenever we find ourselves stuck in our Christian walk, we only need to ask whether we abide in the Vine.
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1 John 5:14-15 NASB1995)
The confident prayer described in this passage flows from our abiding in Christ. One may ask how is it possible that we could “have the request which we have asked from Him”? The answer is that, as we continually abide in Him, what we ask of Him increasingly aligns with His will. Our desires become His desires.
Let’s habitually abide in the Vine (Jesus Christ), enjoying the blessings of knowing He hears our prayers and grants our requests as they reflect His will.