“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).

It is amazing to imagine the unparalleled privilege God has given to us in prayer. It is difficult to fathom why God would condescend to embrace us as his children. The Book of John says that our confidence is this: “That if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” It is reassuring to know that “if we ask anything” that is in God’s will He hears us. If God hears our petitions, then half of our problems are solved. And if God hears us then we can be sure He will answer us in His own way and in His own time.

John further says: “And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” Confidently then, we can say thank you, Jesus, not only for the opportunity to be heard by Him, but also to be assured that we shall have the petitions that we ask of Him.

John used the word “confidence” at least three times in his writings (1 John 2:28; 3:21; 5:14 NKJV). By confidence, he means trust and faith in God, not confidence in ourselves in prayer, but confidence in God’s ability and willingness to answer us. For the mind of faith, a promised act of God is as good as done. We must learn to take God at his word with a remarkable assurance that our prayers will be answered.

Faith is so crucial in our walk with God, especially in our prayers. The writer of the Book of Hebrews writes that without faith it is impossible to please God and that by faith, the elders obtained a good report (Heb.11:1,6). Again, Jesus taught us that we should have faith when we pray. “So, Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive and you will have,” Mark.11.22-24 NKJV.

In 1 John 3:21-22, John brings these four things together: confidence, our asking, our receiving and our keeping his commandments. He wrote: “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight,” 1 John.3.21,22 NKJV.

There is a relationship between our faith, our asking, and the answers we get and the keeping of his commandments. God is interested in our obedience to his word. We do not pray and live anyhow expecting God to answer us. Our faith in God must sync with our prayer and obedience to Him.

Someone has asked this question, why is God so willing to answer sinners like us? God’s predisposition to answer us can best be understood from the nature of his character. God is loving, merciful, compassionate, faithful, good, and generous. God is disposed to answer us because we are His sons. A father would hardly refuse the petition of a son whom he loves.

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