“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!”
John 15:7 (NLT)
Jesus’ words in John 15:7 carry incredible authority. We are invited to ask for anything—but this promise is rooted in a process. It begins with remaining in Him. When we abide, we open our lives for Jesus to heal our hearts, for the Holy Spirit to instruct us, and for God’s Word to move from our head into our heart. We don’t write God’s Word into our hearts ourselves—the Holy Spirit does. Our role is positioning. His role is power.
We position ourselves through Scripture, prayer, worship, fasting, community, and quiet listening in God’s presence. As we remain, our desires slowly come into alignment with God’s desires. Then we can ask for anything we want—because what we want is what He wants. When we ask for what God wants, Jesus says it will be granted. Not instantly. Not on our timeline. But it will be.
Why would God give us this kind of authority? Because the fruit Jesus is after is love. I don’t need much authority to encourage someone or show kindness. But when I truly love someone, I eventually encounter a need I can’t meet. Love doesn’t stop at compassion—it moves into intercession. Loving like Jesus draws me to my Father on behalf of someone else, asking Him to supply what I cannot.
This is how we produce much fruit and lasting fruit. Abiding draws us into love, and love draws us into prayer. God gives us heavenly authority not to elevate ourselves, but to bring to pass the fruit of love beyond our capacity to give it. Sometimes God meets the need directly. Sometimes He meets it differently than I expect. Sometimes He uses the season to prune and build endurance. But abiding love keeps praying—trusting that what is answered in heaven will, in time, be revealed on earth.