11 Th Hour Prayer

“At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.”

John 16:23–24


Jesus invites His followers to pray in confidence believing that whatever we ask the Father in His name we will receive. Pretty much everyone who has ever followed Jesus wholeheartedly knows from personal experience you can’t just blurt out whatever you want as if God was some cosmic Genie at our beck and call to grant our wishes. What Jesus is saying is whatever we ask the Father that aligns with His will He will do in the name of His Only Begotten Son who by His shed blood on Calvary’s Cross has made a way for us to have access to the very throne of God. The throne of God, that’s where our abundant joy is! In God’s presence is the fulness of joy!

I read a true story recently where a University professor who also was a follower of Jesus had become discouraged with the difficulties of sharing his faith on campus and began to question if God even wanted him to continue teaching. So he prayed and asked God to give a sign if in fact the Lord wanted him to remain a teacher. He said to the Lord, “God, if you want me to continue teaching then have someone ask me on “Family Day” about the gospel” as then I will know this is what you have called me to do. A week before school was to begin the University hosted, “Family Day” each year which was known throughout the ages as “Back To School Day” or “Open House” where students and family could walk the campus, visiting all the different buildings so as to familiarize themselves where their classes would be once the school year begins.

As literally hundreds of students and their families visited this teachers class room throughout the day not a single student or family member approached the teacher to inquire about the gospel leaving him saddened, believing he had received his answer from the Lord that this teacher was in the wrong profession and feeling like he was out of God’s will for his life. That night after a full day on campus the professor walked down to the lake near his home and feeling discouraged he laid down on a park bench and closed his eyes and began to sing to the Lord a song by Shawn McDonald that came to his mind.


“Have you ever wanted to be someone else
Have you ever wanted just to be someone
Have you ever wanted to reach your dreams
Have you ever wanted life to be more than it seems
I have tasted of a love so wide
That it stops all my time
I have tasted of a love so deep
That it blows my mind…”

Suddenly in the middle of the song he opened his eyes and there standing over him was a young man who said, “ I just broke up with the love of my life and I heard you singing about a love so deep and I was wondering if you could tell me about this love?” The teacher sat up and without thinking about it began to share with the young man about the love of God that is ours in Jesus Christ. As the professor glanced down at his watch the time was 11:59 p.m. just one minute before midnight. God had in fact come through! The Father answered the prayer and in doing so affirmed to the heart of this educator he was in fact right where God wanted him to be.

What an encouraging reminder for me and you today to pray and believe in faith that God not only hears our prayers but that He hears our prayers and says “Yes” to them. God might not answer us in the exact moment when we pray and is why Jesus reminds us to “ask, seek and knock” and never lose heart. God is always working on behalf of those who love His Son. The promises of God are “yes and amen” to them that believe so keep praying and seeking Him as that is where our joy is!

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Galatians 6:9

I LOVE YOU!