What did Jesus mean when He promised “anything” we ask of Him? Part I

In John 14 we find ourselves amid an incredible body of teaching that Jesus gave to His disciples on the evening of His arrest, and it is here that the Lord makes an extraordinary promise:

 

“Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (v.13, 14)

 

What exactly does Jesus mean here when He promises to do, “whatever you ask” and, “anything you ask”?

 

This question needs to be asked because we know that Jesus does not mean that He will do absolutely anything and everything we ask, no matter what that thing is, just as long as we ask it in Jesus’ name!

 

We know that Jesus must not mean that because of our experiences of life and reality – we do not get everything we ask for in prayer – and we should be very thankful that Jesus does not mean that too:

 

If the Lord Jesus had promised to do anything and everything that anyone asks of Him then this would potentially include requests for evil things, perhaps even against yourselves and your families. We clearly do not want that to be a possibility in Jesus’ promise here. So, it falls on us to ask, what exactly does Jesus mean?

 

The context of Jesus’ teaching here is very important.

 

The Lord Jesus is leaving His disciples with a final body of vital teaching that is designed to help them with His departing from them. That is why much of this body of teaching concerns the coming of the ‘Helper’, the Holy Spirit, and of the importance of the rule of love in all that the disciples will go on to do.

 

In v.12, we see that the Lord Jesus is speaking of 'great' and 'greater' works that the disciples will do as a direct consequence of His going back to dwell at the Father’s right hand. That is what Jesus is talking about as He makes this extraordinary promise of doing whatever and anything they ask of Him.

 

This is the first important note: Jesus’ promise here is related to continuing the work of Jesus Christ, which is the establishing and building of His Kingdom in this gospel age.

 

These works are to include a continuance of the “great” works that Jesus had been doing, works that were based in the physical realm, such as healing the sick. Then, there would also be the “greater” works that are based in the spiritual realm, such as the saving of souls and building of the church. As F.B. Meyer writes, “The soul is greater than the body… It is a greater work to give sight to the blind soul than to the blind body.”[1]

 

J.C. Ryle adds, “It could not be truly said that the physical miracles worked by the Apostles in the Acts were greater than those worked by Christ. But it is equally certain that after the day of Pentecost they did far more wonderful works in converting souls than our Lord did. On no occasion did Jesus convert 3000 at one time.”[2]

 

That means that, thus far, we have established that Jesus’ promise to do “whatever” and “anything” we ask is in reference to Kingdom Work, and things that concern both the physical and spiritual realms.

 

Now, this does not needs mean the promise only concerns pastors, preachers and evangelists. All Christians are called on to share the gospel. Kingdom Work, as I’ve termed it here, includes all Christian witness, discipling, and all things that relate to living in service and testimony to Jesus Christ, including things that relate to the church, to the family, and, if one is living as they ought as a Christian, all aspects of their life.

 

Potentially, then, at this point, Jesus’ meaning could still be very, very wide… and that is why it is at this point that I feel like somebody closing a curtain because the sun is in someone else’s eyes:

 

Pull the curtain in a little… no, that’s too far and the room is too dark… open it a little again… no, that’s too far, the sun is shining through again… close it a little more again… where exactly am I to position this curtain?..

 

Where exactly do we position the opening of Jesus’ meaning regards “whatever” and “anything”?

 

There is a danger we open it up too wide, as, for one example, we see being done with the ‘Health and Wealth’ gospel: “If you have enough faith (that is often accompanied with a significant monetary donation) then Jesus will give you literally anything you ask!”

 

A while back I even saw a clip of a ‘Health and Wealth’ gospel minister who was asking his congregation for donations so that he could purchase a second plane! Just the one was simply not enough...

 

This is clearly a wicked abuse of God’s Word and of the many promises given to us in His Word.

 

At the same time, we do not want to close Jesus’ meaning too far and miss out on potentially available blessings as a result.

 

For example, does Jesus’ promise extend to asking for a car?

 

I knew a gentleman who committed himself to a ministry for the homeless. He set up a charity whereby he would seek to offer constant practical help to the homeless, from hot drinks and food, to seeking help and/or accommodation for those in need. He also shared the gospel with all the people he encountered at every opportunity.

 

Sadly, he was not supported financially to any great degree. There was a time when his old, beaten-up car was having constant issues with the engine. This vehicle was his only vehicle and was used to transport both himself and his equipment and gifts around, enabling him to do his work. Whenever the car was in the garage to have another problem fixed, he was unable to carry out his service to the homeless.

 

Was it right, under those circumstances, to ask the Lord Jesus for a car? I would say it absolutely was.

 

Then there is the story of Rosalind Goforth, who, alongside her husband Jonathan, was a missionary to China at the time of the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901).

 

The Boxer Rebellion was a violent uprising against all things foreign, which included the perceived “foreign religion”, Christianity.

 

Many missionaries lost their lives during this uprising, as did an estimated fifty-thousand native Chinese Christians.[3]

 

Rosalind recorded in her diary that as she and her young family were fleeing to safety, they came to take temporary residence in a Christian’s home, before continuing their journey. It was here that Rosalind looked upon her children and saw how they were dressed in nothing more than dirty rags. She felt the pain that, as a mother, she had brought her young children into such an awful situation. She wept, and prayed…

 

And, so it was, that while she was praying for her children there came a knock on the door. It was someone from a local school that had had to close because of all the violence: was there anyone here in need of some spare children’s clothing?

 

So, the family continued their journey, with the two elder children now better clothed. Rosalind had also managed to bring some cloth and materials with which she intended to make some clothing for the baby. In her room, upon a ship, her hands trembled from exhaustion. She was unable to carry out the sewing work of which she was very well-skilled. Weak, and feeling defeated, she lay on the floor and weakly laid the baby’s needs out before her Lord…

 

A short while passed with Rosalind continuing to lay on the bed of exhaustion when there was a knock at the door. Another fleeing missionary couple had some baby clothes of which they no longer had use: would they be any good to Rosalind?[4]

 

Was it right, under such circumstances, to ask the Lord for clothes for her children? I would say absolutely it was.

 

So, in conclusion of this first part:

 

We do not want to open up Jesus’ promise to do “whatever” and “anything” we ask of Him wider than was Jesus’ intention, and to deliberately do so is a wicked abuse of His promise.

 

We also do not want to narrow Jesus’ promise down too far, and risk missing out on potential available blessings.

 

So, what do we do?

 

We have established that Jesus’ promise is in reference to Kingdom Work, and includes things that concern both the physical and spiritual realms.

 

In the second part of this study, we will consider four principles derived from the words of Jesus in John 14:13, 14, that may help to guide our prayerful requests of the Lord.

[1] F.B. Meyer, Gospel of John (London: Lakeland, 1973) p.227.

[2] J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts On The Gospels: John 10:21-12:50 (Hertfordshire: Evangelical Press, 1977) p.71.

[3] The Boxers and Counting the Cost - Missionary Martyrs in China (2025, October 10)

[4]How I Know God Answers Prayer by Rosalind Goforth (2025, October 10)