As we continue to study our prayer life, we can continue to see how God wants us to bring ourselves into prayer time.  And as we move more and more into our prayer life, we ultimately ask, “How do we know that God is answering prayer?”  But this ultimately means that we have to evaluate the source of the outcome.  Are we wanting our own outcome, or are we connected with God so that we can see His outcomes?

Jesus uses a very vivid visualization describing our connection to Himself and with God.  We are told that we are the branch of the vine of Jesus, and that God is the gardener.  It is interesting to know that the branch cannot do anything apart from the vine, and the vine cannot bear fruit apart from the branch.

Jesus isn’t going to submit some secret prayer path for us believers.  We are just to become the branch of God, open to His will, and then abiding in His will.  This doesn’t mean that we are always in the place we need to be.  It could mean that it is almost certain that we will get out of line with the Father.  This then leads to Jesus’ description of pruning and cleansing to get us back on track.  And when we are back on track, we are then able to produce more through God’s will.

So what is the abiding that Jesus tells us in .  Jesus describes himself as the vine.  We typically think of a vine as the complete picture, with branches.  But instead Jesus is that main trunk.  In Jesus then describes God as the gardener trimming away the branches (us believers) to remove that which does not bear fruit so that the branches that remain can be more fruitful.

So he then continues in -4 that we are already clean because of our trust in Jesus.  So faith brings salvation, but that leads us to the continuing work of the Father to shape us to be fruitful.  But we are to remain in Jesus because without him we cannot be fruitful.  We don’t just trust Jesus once, become clean, and then move on.  We are to remain connected to Jesus (just as the branch remains connected to the vine) and then we will become fruitful.

So we are to be encouraged that when we are in the moment of hardship or on our path in life, we are to abide in Jesus.  To stay connected to Him, and He promises to bear fruit through us (even if the hardship seems extreme to us.)  Your job is to remain connected to the vine, it is then the job of the vine dresser to produce fruit.  Apart from the vine (Jesus), no branch (any person) cannot produce anything, and is outside the truth of salvation.

So what about people who reject Jesus?  In , we see that those people will wither away and be tossed into the fire.  We see more and more influencing voices in society who say that Heaven and salvation is available outside of Jesus.  Even religious leaders who claim to be Christian.  How unloving and evil is it to lead people away from Jesus!  Abiding means that we are connected always to Jesus!  Salvation exists only in our relationship with Jesus.  Even in our failures, salvation exists only when we stay connected to Jesus.

So in , if we remain in Jesus and we rely on Jesus and his truth, we can wish whatever you ask and it will be done for you.  The trouble with this is verse isn’t what it says, but that we want to ask whatever we want when disconnected with Jesus’ will and expect it to come true.  But when we ask for those things that align with Jesus’ will in our lives and others, we will see God answer those prayers.

God is not asking us to not come and ask our will if we don’t think it aligns with His will.  Some people will use the “Not my will be done, but Yours Lord” as a cop out to not ask for something on our hearts.  If what we ask for is not aligned, God wants us to bring those to Him.  It means we are opening our hearts to Him.  And He will answer, and if that answer is different from our desired outcome, He will make that known to us.  He just wants us to stay attached to Him, and that desire to bring us closer to Him.

So with all this illustration and imagery provided in , our overarching prayer is for us to stay connected and abide in Jesus in all things.

We sang Forever by Christ Tomlin today.  To see the scripture behind that music, it can be found in .

15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. (ESV)

15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. (ESV)

2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (ESV)

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. (ESV)

6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. (ESV)

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (ESV)

15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. (ESV)

136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

4 to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

17 to him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18 and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22 a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever. (ESV)