John 14:13 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
After telling His Apostles that they would be enabled to do great works (John 14:12) after His departure, the Lord now tells them “whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do”; that is, “whatsoever” things they were called upon to do in their service to Him in their Apostolic duties. The Lord goes on to say, “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”; thus, letting them know that they would be called upon to do some very extraordinary things, make severe sacrifices, stand against hateful and vicious authorities, persuade the doubtful and discouraged Children of God, and endure awful tribulations; but, He would be listening for their call for help and would answer! The Lord lets His Apostles know that, while His work on earth was almost done, He yet has an ongoing duty in the Godhead from His position in Heaven. By being a “very present help” (Psalms 46:1) to His Apostles, He Glorifies His Father by ensuring that the will of the Father was carried out on earth, first by His Apostles and then by those ministers and laborers that would come after them. From the Apostles perspective, it must have been reassuring to them to know that they would have immediate access to God the Father through Jesus Christ, their Lord, even after His departure. While our duties do not nearly rise to the grand level of that of the Apostles; in our service to the Lord, we likewise have direct access to Him. Because of our Lord’s Great Sacrifice for us, we can “therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Therefore, no matter how arduous our duties may be, when we humbly bow ourselves before this blessed “throne of grace”, we are sure to rise from our prayer with a great sufficiency of Divine “mercy” and “grace”, which comes with everything we need to accomplish the duties before us as our Lord watches over us bringing Glory to the Father! Wherefore, let us likewise be reassured and comforted as we dedicate ourselves to the service of our Lord; and in doing so, “deny” ourselves “and take up” our “cross, and follow” our Lord” (Matthew 16:24)!