Being united with Jesus

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” John 15.7

The very idea of asking God for whatever you want and it being done for you is quite something. However, this is not what Jesus is promising in this verse. Instead he is saying that prayer will naturally flow as a consequence of a life lived in union with Jesus.

How can you achieve this, especially as you may well not have been called to a monastic or contemplative life? There are things like jobs and tasks to be done and families to look after.

The key is not to see union with Jesus as something requiring you to turn your back on everything else, but instead union with him becomes the context for the whole of your life. It is about seeking to be with Jesus and setting him at the centre of all you do.

You might like to try spending five or ten minutes each day slowly repeating a word or phrase until you consciously absorb it, and then it will come back to you in the hours ahead. There are many words and phrases you might choose, including:

‘Jesus’ ‘Abba’ ‘I bear your name, Lord God Almighty’ ‘I am a temple of the Holy Spirit’.

Find a phrase in the Bible that resonates with you, practise absorbing it and discover the joy of a growing sense of his presence today.

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