TRANSFIGURATION PRAYER: Where Heaven Meets Here | John Teaches Us to ABIDE in Prayer | Convo #6

What if confidence in prayer isn’t about saying more, but staying close? We trace John’s surprising journey from a fiery Son of Thunder to the beloved disciple whose life was marked by abiding. John remained near enough to hear Jesus and be formed by his words. That shift from reaction to relationship becomes a practical framework for anyone who wants a steadier, deeper prayer life.

In this episode, Tosha Williams walks us through some of the moments that shaped John’s heart: God's command to “Listen to Him,” Jesus' rejection in Samaria, and the quiet choice to reflect glory rather than chase recognition. Instead of retelling the Transfiguration he witnessed, John lived it. He leaned into proximity, let Scripture root his desires, and recorded more of Jesus' words than anyone else in Scripture, including what Jesus said in John 15:4:  “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” 

From his Gospel to the book of Revelation, John shows what it looks like to abide with Christ. This abiding led John to more and more confidence in prayer, which he reminded us of in 1 John 5:14, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

As we look at John's example, we learn why abiding redefines we encounter prayer, how listening aligns our wants with God’s will, and how private devotion becomes our public witness. We offer simple, repeatable steps—silence, a short passage, one honest question—to help you start or restart an abiding rhythm that holds in real life. If you’ve felt hurried, reactive, or spiritually thin, this conversation offers language and practices that can anchor your days and shape your words with grace.

Ready to let heaven meet here in your rhythms of prayer? Spend some time ABIDING with Jesus using the devotion-driven discipleship guide that goes along with this episode HERE.

Follow the podcast, share this episode with someone God has entrusted to you, and abide Jesus in this week.

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Transcript

Sons Of Thunder To Beloved

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Before John the Disciple became known as the beloved disciple, he was known, along with his brother James, as one of the sons of thunder. Right after they were on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, James and John went with him to a Samaritan village. And Luke chapter 9 tells us that that village rejected Jesus. And when that happened, James and John asked, Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them? These brothers, they were fiery, they were ambitious. They were intense. In another moment, they even asked Jesus for seats of honor in his kingdom, one at his right hand and one at his left. Yes, they were zealous, they were sincere, they were also proud, they were impulsive, they were quick to react. They truly wanted heaven to meet here, but they wanted that to happen in their own way. However, John learned something along the way that God has a different way that He wants to connect heaven with here. And John learned that it's not about destruction, but it's through relationship, through something called abiding, through personal, continual, loving connection with Jesus. The man who once wanted to call down fire from heaven with his brother, well, he learned to call down fellowship, to draw near to God in prayer, in proximity, and then invite others into God's presence as well. If prayer is where transfiguration meets transformation, then John the disciple is one of the clearest examples of this happening in someone's life. Hi, my name is Tasha Williams, and I want to welcome you into this episode with the Family Disciple Me Ministry as we're continuing in our series through Transfiguration Prayer, where heaven needs here. And as we get started, I have to say, the more time I spend looking at the life of John, I can relate to him. Because sometimes my prayers sound a lot like his early ones. But the thing about John that encourages me so much, and that I want to encourage you with is that the more time that John spent with Jesus, the more his heart began to change. He went from giving Jesus suggestions to listening for his direction. John went from competing with his brother for position over everybody else to leaning into God's presence. John went from managing heaven's fire to actually carrying heaven's torch. We see John become humbler, gentler, more in tune with Jesus' heart than his own opinions. And what's amazing is that the same man who once wanted to call down fire from heaven eventually went on to record more about Jesus than anyone else in Scripture. John, the disciple, wrote the Gospel of John, three letters called First, Second, and Third John, as well as the book of Revelation. Friend, that's transformation. And that's what happens when we abide. So today, as we turn our hearts toward the beloved disciple, John, there's something about him that just draws us in quietly, almost reverently. It's one thing to think of his brother as a son of thunder, but we don't really think of John that way because of how much he was transformed when he spent time with Jesus. He doesn't say a lot of impulsive words like Peter. And he also doesn't remain mostly silent like James. Instead, John abides. And in that abiding, John teaches us something so essential about prayer. Prayer isn't just what we say to God, it's what we hear from God. When we pray, heaven connects with here. But through that abiding, that connection is sustained. It becomes a way of life. And John's story reminds us that prayer is born out of proximity. We see John leaning against Jesus' chest, perhaps close enough to hear the heartbeat of the Son of God. Can you imagine that? And it was out of that closeness, that abiding, that proximity, that John became confident in prayer. And the same is true for us. Confidence in prayer is not about shouting our words, but abiding and remaining close enough to Jesus that we can hear his. Now at the transfiguration, John saw heaven open. He saw the glory of Jesus revealed. He heard Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. And then he heard the Father's voice say, This is my son whom I love. Listen to him. That one command, listen to him, became the rhythm of John's entire life, just like I believe it became the rhythm of his brother's life. But here's something really remarkable about John that stands out so much to me. That transfiguration story was recorded in three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But the only gospel writer who was actually there, he never wrote about it. He could have described that mountain scene in vivid detail. He could have reminded everyone that he was one of the chosen few who got to see Jesus in his glory. And yet John never mentions it. Instead, he chose to live a life that reflected that glory. He let that mountaintop transfiguration experience draw him into deeper relationship with the Lord, allowing what he saw on the mountain to become the pattern of his heart. Years later, John would record Jesus' words in John chapter 15, verse 4, where Jesus said, Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. Oh, friend, that word abide isn't one that we use very often anymore, right? But it is one of the most important words in the Christian life because to abide means to remain, to stay, to dwell, to continue, to be close. It means refusing to drift away and instead choosing to stay right next to Jesus, to live, to move, to pray from that position of nearness with him. That single command to abide became the defining posture of John's life, to abide in the presence of Christ. And when we fast forward from the book of John to the last book of the Bible, Revelation, in Revelation chapter 1, verse 10, we see John wrote, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. You see, John was still abiding. From the gospel that begins in the beginning was the word to the end of Revelation, where he wrote, Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. John lived a life that was abiding in Christ. Prayer became what connected heaven to here. And John spent the rest of his life abiding in that connection. John shows us that abiding with Jesus in prayer is what connects heaven with here. But John also teaches us that prayer abides in God's promises. I love how John continued talking about abiding in John chapter 15, verse 7, where he recorded Jesus saying, If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. I believe that's the secret of John's prayer life. John learned to abide with Jesus and pray, seeking him. And it was out of that place of closeness, of nearness, of connection that he learned to be confident in anticipating God's answers to his prayers. Along the way, as John was learning how to pray, he was watching Jesus pray. He was watching, he was learning, he was writing down what he heard Jesus pray. He recorded the words of Jesus' high priestly prayer in John chapter 17. That is the most intimate conversation between the Father and the Son ever recorded. That's how we know in part, John wasn't talking, he was listening. And out of that listening came the confidence, the kind of confidence that we later see in 1 John chapter 5, verses 14 and 15, where John wrote, This is the confidence that we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. That's so beautiful. Prayer connects heaven to hear. And listening is how we stay aligned with God as we wait for the answers that he is going to give us. Because when we abide, when we remain, when we stay, when we dwell close to him in what he has said, we begin to ask according to what his heart desires. And that's how we see this once fiery young disciple who wanted heaven's judgment become the abiding apostle who carried the love of heaven into the world around him. He discovered that the way God wants to connect heaven with here is through a life of continual abiding relationship with Jesus. And just like every other man of God that we've studied in this conversation collection, our goal isn't just to look at the men as amazing and as great as they were. Our goal is to look past them to Jesus. That's exactly what John did. John's life points us straight to the vine himself. And the more we abide in Jesus, the more our lives bear fruit that brings Jesus glory. So here's my challenge for you today when it comes to prayer. I encourage you, after listening to this episode, to spend some time with Jesus in the accompanying devotion-driven discipleship conversation. Seek the Lord Himself, just like John did. Seek Jesus and ask him what he wants to say to you through this conversation. What is it that he wants to say to you about confidence in prayer? What is it that he wants to speak into your life about abiding in prayer close to him? Because the thing is that John learned with Jesus is what each of us needs to continually grow in and learn. And that is that we too are invited to abide, to draw closer, to stay near, to look to Jesus and say, speak, Lord, I'm listening. And then as we do that, we can let our hearts rest in that holy pause, abide there, stay there for a moment, because that is where in prayer, heaven meets here. And then as we learn to pray about that, we begin to impact those around us. Because as we always say with family disciple me, seek him, must lead to speak him. When we meet with God and abide with him there, we want to turn around and make him known. And when we begin to pray like that, our kids, our friends, our family, our spouse, our roommates, whoever it is, the next generation around us, they start to see prayer differently as well. It's not just about request, it's not just about rote, religious things to say. Prayer is about the rhythm of a relationship. When we personally abide with Christ, well, we begin to model what that looks like for others. And we show them that prayer is more than just a moment, it's a way of living that connects heaven to here every single day. So, friend, may you abide in Jesus' presence today. Whatever is happening in your life, I challenge you, don't just say, I don't have time for that. I challenge you to calm your heart and sit in Jesus' presence, even if it's just for a few moments. Listen to what he wants to say to you. Tune in to what his voice is speaking to you. Be sure that you don't leave this moment without seeking him. And then, friend, somehow, someway throughout your day, turn around and speak him into the life of someone entrusted to you. John's life shows us that abiding in prayer matters. It matters for today and it matters for eternity. So, friend, I challenge you, let heaven meet here today in your prayer life. I'll see you back here in the next episode.