“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. . . . You have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:20-24 ESV)

As we enter Easter week, I want to reflect on another passage from Jesus’ last words with His disciples prior to His crucifixion.

Last week we looked at John 15:10-11. There Jesus talked about true obedience and finding complete joy. Here in chapter 16, the theme continues. Jesus knows His followers will soon “weep and lament” while the world will rejoice in His coming death. But Jesus promises, “Your sorrow will turn into joy.”

These men do not know the horrifying events that will soon crash into their lives. They will run from their Master, grieve over His death, and then doubts will surely overwhelm them, causing them to wonder if they had wasted three years with a master manipulator. Satan will seek to decieve them in any way possible.

Jesus knows what will soon happen to Him, but even as He knows of His impending death, He cares for these followers in whom would be entrusted the future of Christianity. They need extra reassurance to make it through the events of the coming days unscathed. He had already told them three times in the course of the last three years that He would die and rise again, but it seemed they never really heard it. Oddly enough, He doesn’t repeat that here; He just speaks these words of assurance, of hope. If they will just listen and believe, their sorrow will turn into joy. They will see Him again–for real. Then they will be able to ask anything in His name and their joy will “be full.”

Grief turned to joy; joy complete–all centered around the resurrection. Because of the resurrection on Easter morning and the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ presence will be so real, so vital, that He will hear every request, every need, every concern, every desire, and He will answer.

Imagine such a promise! Imagine that it is true for you and for me! Hey wait–it is! “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” This is joy so complete that no one and nothing can ever take it away.

So we ask. That doesn’t mean the answer comes immediately or even that it is always the answer we think we want, but we have the joy of knowing that our request is heard, considered, and will be answered not “in the order it was received,” but when the time is exactly right in the vast landscape of our lives and of God’s plan for His world.

I’ve discovered that even in the most unhappy times, in the times when my prayers seem to be on hold, I can still find joy. It’s there–and it carries a deep weight working like ballast on my soul, keeping it from flopping to and fro on the waves of my emotions and impatience. All is well eventually, eternally, even when life hurts right now. My requests are heard in the halls of heaven and God will answer in exactly the right way at exactly the right time.

The joy that gives me–well, no one can take that away.