Greater works . . .

By not taking my own advice, for years I’ve missed the meaning of Jesus’ words in the first verse of this passage.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12–14)

My advice? Meaning is always determined by context. Verse 12 is a puzzle, but the next two verses put the pieces together. Chambers says it well: “Prayer does not fit us for the greater works; prayer is the greater work.”

I tend to think of prayer only as taking my burdens to the Lord that He might do something about them. That is, He is doing the work and all I am doing is talking.

However, I’m involved in a Bible study entitled, “Hearing God.” From it, I now recognize that sometimes (and this is a great mystery) God is using my prayers to speak His will. This makes me somewhat of a partner in the great things that He is doing.

For example, when I pray for the salvation of a soul, even a person that I don’t know personally, and that soul is saved, my prayer is part of the “greater work” that brought that person into the kingdom. Actually, Christ is doing all the work, yet graciously partners me in it and even says it is my work!

Chambers says that when God’s people labor at prayer, results happen all the time from God’s standpoint. We cannot see all that He is doing. We will be astonished “when the veil is lifted, the souls that have been reaped” simply because we are listening to God when we pray and saying aloud the thoughts that He puts in our minds.

Prayer is not preparation for the day’s work, the Lord’s work, or something like rubbing a lamp so the genie will grant my wishes. Prayer is work, even a battle. It is seeking God’s will so the forces of darkness might be pushed back and that His light will shine in those dark places. Prayer is also an intimacy. It is seeking the face of God that I might know Him as deeply as possible.

When I talk, or when I write, I’m not listening — except in the pauses, but it is in the pauses that God equips me that I might do ‘greater works than these.’ 

I need to pause more often!

Another way to block miracles?

Today there are many who claim to be healers in the name of the Lord. With great commotion and public display, healing services happen all over the world. However, most who observe them are skeptical. They think the healing is fake and the healers are in it for the money. Perhaps they are right.

When Jesus was here, He did say that His followers would do miracles: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:12–14)

Yet I noticed something this morning that I’ve not noticed before. The miracles done in the early church had a significant difference from much of what is happening today.

For instance, Peter and John encountered a lame beggar. Peter said to him, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” The man did just that. “Leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”

The people who observed this were “utterly astounded” and ran to that place. Peter talked to them about Jesus and glorified Him saying that the healing came from Him through faith, and had nothing to do with their own abilities. (Acts 3:5–16)

This continued through the book of acts. “People gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.” (Acts 5:16)

One was a person named Aeneas. Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” He did so and “all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.” (Acts 9:34–35)

Another example was a man crippled from birth who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking, and Paul looked at him and said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” The man “sprang up and began walking.” At first the crowds though Paul and Barnabas were the gods coming to them as men, but Paul said, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” (Acts 14:8–18)

In these example and all other cases, there were no skeptics saying the healings were not real. The crowds may have misinterpreted their source, but no one said it was “all in their heads” or somehow fake, or temporary. Not only that, those who called for these people to be healed insisted that this was not their power. They pointed all the attention away from themselves and to Jesus Christ. They repeatedly told the astonished crowds that they were not special, but mere men who trusted their Messiah. He did the miracles; He was the healer, not Peter or Paul or any of the others

The Gospel exposes our sinfulness. I am without any merit or resources of my own. I cannot do anything to earn or deserve what Christ has done for me. This is good news because all my burden and efforts are lifted and I’m free to be loved and love others.

The Gospel is harsh news in that my pride cannot stay. I cannot claim anything. Jesus Christ has done it all. While the Gospel elevates me to a salvation I do not deserve, it also humbles me. Not only am I saved by grace alone, every breath that I take is by the grace of God.

This shapes the difference between the ‘faith healers’ of today and the servants of the Lord in the early church. Those servants never pointed to themselves. They never made a big show over what they were doing, and they refused any credit for the miracles. For them, all the miracles, even any other good thing, were from God and not their doing.

Perhaps the reason there are less miracles today is that too many ‘miracle workers’ are attempting to do them for their own glory instead of bringing glory to Jesus Christ — and wind up blocking God from doing His mighty works?

Fully Employed

One day I went for my usual prayer walk. My to-do list for the day was long and looming over my head. I felt a bit resentful that prayer was going to take some valuable time and expressed this to God along with my need to get my work done. He clearly said to me, “Prayer is your work.”

Since that rebuke, I’ve not grumbled about the time it takes to pray. However, I’d never connected prayer to John 14:12, a verse that has always puzzled me, until this morning while reading it in its context.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12–14)

Oswald Chambers says that “prayer does not fit us for greater work; prayer is the greater work.” I once thought that prayer would prepare me for the day, give me strength and wisdom to do the Lord’s work, and keep me focused on Him. However, after God rebuked me, I’ve learned to agree with Chambers. Prayer is the greater ministry. It is the most important work, perhaps the only work that He asks of me that is truly effective.

As Chambers says, prayer is God working the miracle of Redemption in me that produces the miracle of Redemption in others by His power. This isn’t about me agonizing and wrestling in prayer though. It is based on “the agony of Redemption” and on what Jesus has done. It has taken me a long time to realize that wise words and “proper” praying are not what God answers. He wants prayer from the redeemed which means my fleshy ideas of prayer are not important. Instead, He hears and responds to childlike helplessness and the realization that this is not about me.

Prayer is also the battle of Christian living. I fight sin and indifference. I wrestle with false teaching and the devil’s lies, but none of these are nearly as challenging as taking the needs of the world to the throne of grace in the name of Jesus. Prayer, as Jesus defines it, is hard work.

I can easily pray in my own name and with my list of I-wants. I can easily tell God what I think He should be doing (such impertinence), but praying in the name of Christ because He asks me to do it requires the Spirit of God and the power of God. I cannot do this on my own and I don’t even want to.

Of course, the flesh likes the answers even if it recoils at the work. I love it when God answers prayer in ways that I can see. This thrill tends to become a motivation, but what about praying without ever seeing the answers? This adds to the difficulty of the work. A small comparison is the tedium of a factory assembly line where the workers do their small part and never see the finished product. The only way to avoid this is remembering that I am talking to the Creator of the Universe and that He promised to listen and respond. I cannot see into His realm unless He opens that to me. Instead, He asks that I walk by faith, not sight, and that I work hard in prayer.

Answered prayer can also be a glory for me. I love to stand and tell others that God answered my prayers, as if the “my” side had something to do with the answer. But Jesus said that the glory is not for me, but for the Father to be glorified in the Son. This makes prayer a totally unselfish task, one that is difficult to sustain without wanting something in it for me.

Clearly, prayer is my work. Is there a reward involved? When a servant does his duty, can he expect anything, even a “well done” when finished? Do I fall into thinking that answers are my reward rather than simply the privilege of being in the throne room with the King of kings?

Chambers surprises me with the last lines of his reading for today. He says, “You labor at prayer and results happen all the time from God’s standpoint. What an astonishment it will be to find, when the veil is lifted, the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you had been in the habit of taking your orders from Jesus Christ.”

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Jesus, I am ashamed that I often feel neglected when the answers to my prayers do not come as quickly as I’d hoped or in the same manner as I expected. I know that talking to You is an incredible privilege. It is also my God-given task. You are the Lord, so I do not choose my work hours or the places where I am to be working. Nor can I dictate the rewards or the results of my labor.

Not only that, You are in charge and You have given Your commands. I am to ask in Your name, seek Your glory, and trust that praying is a great work because You say it is — whether or not I can see what comes of it. Forgive me for the slack times, the times that I either am late or do not show up at all. I know that in spite of my failures, You will never kick me off the job. Instead, You keep calling me to work, to pray without ceasing. 

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