Another Assurance About Prayer

With all of the blog entries that I have done recently on prayer, I was working on my new book the other day and came to this promise in  1John 5:13-15.  I wanted to share it, not so much as a preview of my new work, but as a continuation of thought about prayer.  You can never plumb the depths of God’s word and new thoughts and insights jump out at me as I study.  It is always and adventure.  I do hope this entry is helpful to you in your prayer life and I would love to hear back from you.  I am excited about this new work but it is far from finished.  Working on it keeps me growing and meditating on God’s word- always a good thing.
Blessings,
Linda

                                                           Jesus, Our Confidence

1John 5: 13-15
            I (John) write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.  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. (ESV)

Promise:  God promises that faith in Jesus gives me eternal life and that anything I ask, according to His will, He will grant me.

          When you pray do you give God a wants or needs list?  This verse reminds us that God has a perfect plan, and that we need to seek to align ourselves with His plan.  True alignment with God’s will produces results in the form of answered prayer.  Jesus was our example as he prayed in Matthew 6:9-10 “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ And again at Gethsemane in Matthew 26:39 “And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’” (ESV) As hard as it may seem, to produce results for God we must seek His will not our own.  Then he promises great results that will be the very best for us.
Lessons and Truths:

1. Belief in Jesus gives eternal life.
2. God is accessible.
3. God has a plan for my life.
4. God is sovereign and all things are in his power.
5. God wants me to align myself with His perfect will.

Prayer:   Lord, I confess that I am willful and want my own way.  I desire things done to please me and not You.  Give me a clean heart that will seek Your will and direction in my life.  Help me to be humble and desirous of being in Your will and trusting You to work out Your will in my life.  Grant me wisdom in prayer to seek Your way and that I may adopt an attitude of thankfulness for all You have done for me though Jesus.  Amen.

What is my response to God’s promise?
What do I need to pray for God’s will, not mine, in my life right now? _____________________

How am I trusting in God’s sovereign will?___________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Promise Confirmation:   John 3:16, John 4:13-14, Matthew 7:7, 1John 2:15-17

(Promise Confirmation is where I have found related promises to the one in 1John 5:13-15.  They are not exact matches but show that God’s word is consistent and the theme of the promise is found elsewhere  in the Bible.  The promise is not isolated and can be found contextually elsewhere.)