A Confident Prayer Life

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV)

Do you remember asking your mother or your dad for something and having the feeling of uncertainty about their response? You might have even become a little anxious or nervous as you awaited their answer. Most parents who truly care about, and love their children will usually take interest in their activities, and as such they will probably say, “No” to their children’s requests as much as they say, “Yes.”

It is the same way with our Heavenly Father—He cares so much about every aspect of our activities and our life, and as such, every detail is carefully weighed out. And just as it was when we were children, there will be times when we don’t get the “Yes” to our request, and our prayers will not be granted.

Our confidence in approaching God in prayer shouldn’t be grounded in the probability of Him saying “Yes” — It should be in the fact He knows what we need, and is always working things out in our life for the best. We can be confident when we approach the throne of God, because, as Christians, we are seated with Christ, and we are heirs with Him (Rom 8:16-17).

Q: So what does the scripture above mean when it says, we can be “confident?”

Confidence can be defined in a couple of ways, two of which apply to the above scriptures in 1 John.

1. A belief or self-assurance in your ability to succeed

2. Belief or assurance in somebody or something or the ability of somebody or something to act in a proper, trustworthy, or reliable manner

So according to these definitions we should be assured of our success when it comes to asking God for something in prayer, as long as it is “His” will that these requests be done. But to fully understand this confidence, we must look at it from a biblical perspective. As Christians, our confidence is:

A. Produced by faith (Eph 3:12; 2 Ti 1:12; Heb 10:22).

B. Made full by hope (Heb 6:11, 19).

C. Confirmed by love (1 Jn 3:14, 19; 4:18).

D. Is the effect of righteousness (Isa 32:17).

E. Is abundant in the understanding of the gospel (Col 2:2; 1 Th 1:5).

We really need to understand a fundamental principle in our prayer with God. The purpose of prayer is not about getting our will done. The purpose of prayer is about coming in agreement with God’s perfect will. We must never treat God like a genie in a bottle. So if what we have asked for in prayer is not according to His perfect will, then we must understand, He is not going to answer our prayer. We must always remember His ways are better than ours, no matter how noble our prayers may be, or how sincere we may have prayed it. Even though we think we can see clearly from our perspective, we must trust God fully, because He is the only one who sees the future and He knows everything. Father truly does know best!

STUDY QUESTION: According to 1 John 5:14-15 what would be a reason for God not answering our prayers?

PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you willing to fully trust God for what is best in your life?

APPLICATION: Let’s always be mindful to ask God to answer our prayer according to His perfect will. Then we can have peace of mind, trusting in His perfect plan.