“Christians ought to be happy. Christians ought not to live defeated, unhappy lives, tormented by needs which cannot be met. So God has appointed that Christians can have fullness of joy all the time by having their prayers answered.
In John 16:24 Jesus said, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
Imagine, if you will, a child whose father loves him so much that he can come day by day and ask his father for anything he needs. If the child in his ignorance asks for something that would cause him trouble and sorrow, the father very carefully explains and teaches the child what would be best, and then teaches him to ask for something far better than that for which he had intended to ask.
Thus the child has every desire granted and lives in a blessed state of happiness and joy because his father delights to give him the desires of his heart.
And that is what God wants to do for His children, only He can do infinitely more. God can teach His children and lead them by the Holy Spirit to pray for the things that will bring fullness of joy and no curse. “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22).
No father and no husband can give fullness of joy. But thank God, that is just exactly what our heavenly Father says He wants to do for us. He wants to give us all we ask and even help us ask aright. We are to ask and receive so our joy will be full.
A rich, full life for a Christian depends on how much and how he prays. The way to be happy and full of joy is to pray. Prayer is the secret of fullness of joy, and for that reason Christians should pray.”
