Day 31: Ask in My Name
40 Days of Prayer & Fasting
Prayer Focus: Praying With Confidence
“…ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
John 15:7 ESV
For the last two days, we have focused on Jesus' words in John 15.
Day 29: Abide in Me.
Day 30: Bear Much Fruit.
Today Jesus shows us another result of abiding:
A life of confident prayer.
Our prayer today is:
“Lord, teach me to pray according to Your heart.”
Abiding Changes What We Ask For
John 15:7 begins with an important condition:
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you…”
Then Jesus talks about asking.
We sometimes focus immediately on the promise, “ask whatever you wish,” while overlooking what comes before it.
Jesus is describing someone who is abiding in Him and whose heart is being filled with His words.
The closer we walk with Jesus, the more our desires should begin to align with His.
Prayer becomes less about convincing God to accomplish our will and more about bringing our lives into agreement with His will.
His Word Shapes Our Prayers
Jesus says:
“…and my words abide in you.”
That's why Scripture and prayer belong together.
The Word teaches us what God loves.
What He promises.
What He commands.
What He desires.
And as His Word fills us, it begins shaping the things we ask Him for.
We begin praying with greater confidence because we're not simply praying from our emotions.
We're praying from His Word.
Pray Boldly
Humility in prayer does not mean praying without expectation.
Hebrews tells us to “draw near to the throne of grace” with confidence (Hebrews 4:16 ESV).
We can ask boldly.
Pray for the lost.
Pray for healing.
Pray for restoration.
Pray for provision.
Pray for families.
Pray for revival.
Pray for God to open doors that only He can open.
After 31 days of prayer, don't allow prayer to become routine.
Keep believing that God hears you.
Today's Prayer Focus
Align My Desires
Let what I want increasingly reflect what You want.
Fill Me With Your Word
Let Scripture shape the way I pray.
Increase My Faith
Help me pray with expectation rather than simply repeating words.
Teach Me to Ask
Keep me dependent upon You for everything I need.
Today's Prayer
Father, thank You that You invite me to come before You.
Teach me to abide in Christ and let Your Word abide deeply within me.
Shape my desires until what matters to You matters to me.
Forgive me for the times prayer has become routine or when I have prayed without expecting You to respond.
Give me faith to ask boldly while remaining surrendered to Your will.
Lord, teach me to pray according to Your heart.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Additional Scriptures
John 15:7–11
1 John 5:14–15
Hebrews 4:14–16
Matthew 7:7–11
Today's Challenge
Choose one thing you have been praying about during these 40 days.
Find a Scripture that speaks to that need or situation.
Then pray again today, but this time pray from the Word of God.
And pray with expectation.
Abide. Let His Word abide in you. Then ask.
Day 29: Jesus, keep me close to You.
Day 30: Lord, let my life bear much fruit.
Day 31: Lord, teach me to pray according to Your heart.
