Student Devotionals
1 John 5:14-15
Pray With Faith & Confidence
Have you ever prayed for something you really wanted, but you didn’t get it? When I was growing up in the church, I was often confused as to why some prayers got answered while others did not. Maybe it was the way I was praying that was wrong? I used to even think that God only listens to my prayers when I did enough good things before asking him. When I got older and started drifting further from God, I actually started to believe that prayer was pointless because sometimes it seemed like God wasn’t listening.
After giving my life to Christ in college, I realized that I had been misunderstanding what prayer is all about. Today’s passage from 1 John 5:14-15 has a lot to teach us about the subject. Let’s read:
“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.”
So, can Christians be confident that God hears their prayers? Yes! We learn from this passage that Christians can be confident in prayer because of our relationship with Jesus.
One verse earlier, John says that the purpose of this whole letter was for Christians to know that they have eternal life in Jesus. So the “confidence” that John mentions is not just any kind of confidence, but it is specifically the confidence we have in our life with Christ. Christians can be confident of our eternal life in Christ through the way God responds to our prayers.
How does God respond to the prayer requests of Christians? John is saying that if we ask anything in accordance with God’s will, then those requests are heard and granted by God.
It is really amazing that God promises to hear us. Let’s not miss how big of a deal that is! We can take it for granted that God hears us when we pray. How many of you would want to listen to requests and problems of people who wrong you? God doesn’t owe us any of his attention because we are all sinners. However, through Christ we become God’s children, and as children of God, we have God’s attention when we pray to him. Thank God that he has made a way for us to approach him in such a way! We come not in fear, but in the security of his love!
But it is crucial to notice the kind of requests that God hears and grants. John says it is those prayers that are “according to his will”. We should not expect God to grant every request we desire, or else God is no more than a genie. God listens and grants our requests when they are in accordance with HIS desires. Doesn’t that just make sense? God is God. We exist for him... not the other way around. The good news is that his desires are for our good, so we can have confidence in trusting and asking in accordance with his will. In Jesus’ famous ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ he explains that even an earthly father will give his child food if he asks for food. He says, “How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11)!
You see, prayer is not about getting God to do your will. Rather, it is about seeking the will of God, which is always going to be the best. Jesus teaches us in “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13) to ask for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Now you might be thinking, “that sounds kind of pointless, asking God to do what he wants to do already.” However, it’s a miracle that sinners, after being born again by faith in Jesus, can actually pray in accordance with God’s will! This is the work of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus promises will dwell in all those who believe in him.
So what kind of requests are in accordance with God’s desires? Above all, God’s desire is for us to be holy like Christ. In our passage, John gives us one specific example of the kind of prayer that fits this description - a prayer for a fellow Christian to repent of sin and be restored. It is great to get in the habit of praying “God-centered” and “other-centered” prayers!
To summarize, when we ask in accordance with God’s perfect will, we can be confident that our requests will be granted, even if it doesn’t happen right away.
So, how should you apply this truth to your life this week?
First, develop your appreciation for prayer. It is a supernatural connection with God himself, and it is all made possible because of the relationship we were given in Christ. If you don’t value prayer as it deserves, you probably won’t pray!
Second, in your prayers, desire holiness more than happiness. When we humble ourselves to the Holy Spirit and the Word, we will experience the joy that comes from growing in holiness.
Third, pray for others to have the same kind of intimate relationship with Jesus. Don’t make your prayer life all about yourself. This week, devote time in your prayers to intercede for others. If they don’t know God, what confidence can they have that he hears them? But you can confidently approach God in prayer, so do it!
Have a great week praying with faith and confidence!
-Barnaby Lee