John 16:23-33
He stood at the stake, iron chain around his neck, a rope ready to strangle him. Maybe this sounds familiar. Two weeks ago we talked about William Tyndale, the man who committed the crime of translating the Bible into English. For this he was imprisoned, strangled to death with a rope, and his body burned at a stake. The reason we’re talking about Tyndale again is because today’s message happened immediately after the words of Jesus which we considered two weeks ago. Two weeks ago we listened as Jesus compared our lives to a woman in labour. “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” William Tyndale was suffering through his moment of severe grief and pain. As he did, he prayed. Tyndale’s last recorded words were a prayer. “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”
After comparing our current lives to the pains of labour, Jesus moves naturally to the question: What do we do in the pain? We pray. When we hear Tyndale’s story, we marvel at his bold, confident prayer that reflected a love for others even though he was in agony and in chains. And yet for many of us, prayer feels far less confident. It can often feel weak, and uncertain. We wonder, “Is God listening? Does it really matter to Him? Am I doing it right?”
During Jesus’ final evening before his arrest, in his final meal with his disciples, he speaks words of power as he teaches us how to pray—in His name. And He anchors our peace in His victory. That’s our theme today: Pray in Jesus’ name and with peace in His victory.
Jesus gives a remarkable promise in v. 23: “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you”. This promise is so great that we struggle to believe it. Instead of praying with confidence, we can delay. We say:
- “I’ll pray later, when I feel more spiritual, or have more time to give it the attention it really deserves.”
- “Who am I to speak to God? I’m not worthy.”
- “I’ve messed up too much, God won’t listen to me.”
Those attitudes… perhaps they sound humble, but really they come from a place of pride. We think we need to clean ourselves up before we pray. We pridefully think that there’s something we can do to put things right with God before we can come to Him. Or we treat prayer like we’re making a meal deal selection. If we bring the right words, we can just select the options we’d like. “Jesus, as you told me to do, I am praying in your name:. So, now I’ll select a main of good health, with a side of job security, and for dessert I’ll have a lovely seaside holiday.” But because prayer doesn’t work this way, we can neglect it. We can give up on it. We can doubt God’s promises. We reduce prayer to a superstitious chant or performance. We trust our feelings instead of His promises. Jesus knows this. When he was teaching, he knew his disciples would scatter and fail. He says in v.32, “You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me”. He’s speaking not only about their failure—but ours too. That’s the law. It humbles us. It strips us of our excuses.
Jesus doesn’t say, “Pray when you’re worthy or when you’re ready.” Rather, on this evening he introduces a new way to pray. He says, “Pray in my name.” Maybe you do this without thinking. At the end of a prayer it is common to say, “In Jesus name, Amen.” Maybe you’ve heard prayers end that way and have wondered why. Up until this moment in history in our Gospel text, people did not pray in Jesus’ name. Believers in the Old Testament approached God through priests and sacrifices, but not with the direct access Jesus now gives. When you pray in Jesus’ name, it’s as if Jesus Himself is praying for you.
We can feel unworthy to approach God, and by nature we are. But Jesus is saying, “Let Me be holy and worthy enough for you. Just come in My authority and in My name.” You are not coming to God with your own CV in your own strength. You’re coming with Christ’s. He has opened the way back to God and you are invited. This isn’t a vague hope. It’s a promise. Jesus says, “Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be full”
You don’t receive from God because of your skill in prayer or because of your worthiness, but because the Father knows you and loves you so much that He sent His Son for you. But what if God doesn’t answer your prayer by giving you what you ask for? What about your helping of good health, a side of job security and a dessert of a lovely seaside holiday?
When you pray in Jesus’ name, you’re praying trusting God to answer your prayer in the way he knows is best. When God delays or denies a request, it is not a sign of His anger or that He isn’t listening but a time of training and refining your faith. When it appears that God is angry with you and is hiding His grace, this silence is where faith is refined.
In one well-known moment from Jesus’ life, His friend Lazarus became seriously ill. But instead of rushing to help, Jesus waited. By the time He arrived, Lazarus had died. People were confused and hurt—why didn’t Jesus come sooner? But Jesus had a purpose in the delay: He would raise Lazarus from the dead, showing His power and strengthening their faith. In the same way, sometimes God delays answering our prayers—not to punish us, but to help us trust Him more deeply and hold on to what He’s promised, even when it’s hard.
If God answers our prayer with a “no” it is never because He doesn’t love us, or want the best for us, but because He sees the bigger picture. He sometimes postpones and delays the answer, but He always gives more than we pray for. Consider the prayer Jesus would make in just a few hours after this final meal with his disciples. After they finished their meal, he walked to the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knows he will be arrested in a few minutes, and he prays, “Lord, if it is your will, take this cup from me.” But God our Father did not take the cup from Jesus because he had something far better in store. He allowed his son to be arrested and killed so that his innocent death might be the sacrifice that rescues the world and paid our entire debt of sin.
Knowing that God always gives more than we ask for brings peace. After teaching us to pray in his name, Jesus then says: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The Greek word translated here as “overcome” is “nike”. More familiar to us as a brand of trainers, and can also be translated as “Victory.” Jesus is saying, “I am victorious. I came to this world. I saw the need to rescue. And I conquered. I defeated sin and death. I win.” Jesus wins. He conquers sin. He triumphs over death. He crushes the devil. And because He wins, you have peace.
It’s the peace that holds when everything goes wrong, when the bottom falls out of your life, when difficulties and storms hit. When you pray in His name, you’re praying from victory, not for it. You’re not trying to earn God’s ear. You’re standing in Jesus’ triumph.
So, when you pray:
- And your words feel weak, His name is strong.
- When you feel guilty, His name is righteous.
- When you feel forgotten, His name guarantees you are heard.
And don’t forget this: Jesus didn’t just teach prayer. He prayed. All the time. At His baptism. In the wilderness. On the mountain. In Gethsemane. On the cross. He prayed for Himself. He prayed for His disciples. He prayed for you.
In the next chapter of John, are the final words Jesus spoke before leaving for the garden of Gethsemane. His words are a prayer for all future believers. Even now, He intercedes for you at the Father’s right hand. So if you feel like you don’t know how to pray—start here: Jesus prays for you. And He teaches you to pray in His name.
Maybe you’ve neglected prayer. Maybe it feels dry. Maybe you don’t know what to say. Jesus says, “Ask the Father in my name.” You don’t have to have the right words. You don’t have to get your life together first. Just come. Come in Jesus’ name.
And when prayer feels difficult, one of the best things you can do is listen. Listen to God’s voice in his Word. Let your prayers flow from what He says to you. If you’re not currently reading the Bible regularly – or you’re unsure where to start – consider reading Philippians this week. Read it once all the way through. Then read it again slowly. Listen. Think on what God is teaching you. Then pray. Philippians is about joy in difficult circumstances, that our current life is like the pains of labour – painful, yes – but leading to something joyful and new.
So listen. Pray. And remember: you are heard. You are loved. And you already stand in Christ’s victory.
That’s why you can pray with confidence. That’s why you can face suffering with peace. That’s why you can sing even in prison, even in grief, even in death—like William Tyndale did. Because Jesus said:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Amen.