Encouraging Word for Today

Now this 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. 1John 5:14,15

That is an awesome promise. I think there are many prayers prayed in which there is no expectation of getting an answer. Unfortunately, we most often get what we expect. Do you believe God hears your prayers? Jesus walked in that confidence. As He stood outside Lazarus' tomb in John 11:41-43 He said, "Father, I thank you that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." He had absolute confidence that the Father heard His prayers. He expressed that in the people's hearing for their benefit and it is recorded for our benefit as well. He knew that the Father always heard Him. He could be confident in knowing His prayer was answered because He knew the Father heard Him.

In the first John passage there are only two requirements to answered prayer: 1) Praying the will of the Father and 2) Confidence.   When we speak of the will of God in this passage it is not broad generalities, but specifics. The type of prayers mentioned here are petitions (specific requests)." If it be Thy will is not a specific confident prayer." In the Lord's model prayer Jesus says to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. That is not an iffy prayer; it is a confident prayer expressed in aorist tense, imperative mood. His kingdom invading a situation is His will.

One might ask , "How do I know His will?" Without getting into a long teaching, let me bring Romans 12:2 to your attention. It is the renewing of the mind that gives us transformation and the ability to discern the will of God. How is the mind renewed? It is renewed by the washing of the water of the word and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Be confident when you pray that your Father hears and that He will answer. Jesus' thanking the Father for Him was an example for us. He knew that the Father heard Him and that Lazarus was coming forth from that tomb because the Father had heard Him. John is saying we can have that same confidence and know that our prayers are answered.