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[Ask...receive... joy. ..full.'] This sentence means, " From lience- forth begin tiie practice of asking everything in my name and through my mediation. Ask fully and confidently, and you shall receive fully and abundantly. So asking, you shall find the joy and comfort of your own souls enlarged and filled up."
John Gerhard here remarks : " The benefit of prayer is so great that it cannot be expressed ! — Prayer is the dove which, when sent out, returns again, bringing with it the olive-leaf, namely peace of heart. Prayer is the golden chain which God holds fast, and lets not go until He blesses. Prayer is the Moses' rod, which brings forth the water of consolation out of the rock of salvation. Prayer is Samson's jaw-bone, which smites down our enemies. Prayer is David's harp, before which the evil spirit files. Prayer is the key to Heaven's treasures."
The Greek word rendered " full " means literally " filled up," being the perfect participle of the verb " to fill or fulfil."
The sentence teaches us that the joy and happiness of be- lievers admit of degrees, and may be fuller at one time than at another. It also teaches that the joy of a believer depends much on his fervency and earnestness in prayer. He that prays little and coldly must not expect to know much of " joy and peace in believing,"
We should not fail to observe how prayer is set before be- lievers here as a plain duty, in the imperative mood, and also how desirous our Lord is that His people should be rejoicing Christians even now in the midst of a bad world. That religion which makes people melancholy and miserable and wretched- looking, is a very low type of Christianity, and far below the standard of Him who wished "joy to be full." (Compare 1 John i. 4.)