St. Theophan the Recluse: Why We Have to Ask God

(Acts 25: 13-19; John 16: 23-33).

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you (John 16: 23). The Lord confirmed his promise with “verily, verily, I say unto you.” What a shame that we cannot use his true and straightforward promise! If only we were ashamed; instead, we try to cast a shadow of doubt on the promise as though it were too great and impossible to fulfill. No, the fault is ours, and mostly because we do not regard ourselves true servants of Christ, and thus our conscience does not let us expect any kind of mercy from the Lord.

In addition, even if a man attempts to ask God for something, he is often unstable. He would bring the issue up in his prayer once or twice, and then stop praying for it altogether; and then he would claim that God didn’t hear him.

No, if you ask God for something special, you must be persistent and tireless in your prayer like the widow who managed to make the callous judge fulfill her request. True people of prayer combine it with fast, wakefulness, all kinds of self-restraint, and charity. They keep praying for months and years on end. That is why they get what they ask for. Follow their example if you want your prayer to be successful.

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

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