We Ask Because We Know!
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us..1John 5:14
Many times we get stuck with the construction of a verse like this one above
As a result it will appear to be saying one thing while meaning another
Reading the same verse in congruence with the context of the passage and other passages of scripture will clear up any misconceptions
See it this way
Our confidence in ASKING Is KNOWING it is his will to hear us
What is his will?….it is to hear us hence we pray
In other words we are to know before we ask that it is his will to hear us
It is that knowing that should prompt our asking
Note what he is not saying
He is not saying God answers only when we ask according to his will and if we don’t know his will he may not answer
No
If that were the case, the next verse won’t make sense
See the next verse
” And if we KNOW that he hears us, WHATSOEVER we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions we desired of him”
Again we see how often the word KNOW is emphasized as a necessary ingredient to asking
If the wil of God referred to here is something specific that we have to first find out then saying whatsoever we ask won’t make sense
The word ” whatsoever” here implies that the prerogative of what to ask for belongs to us not him
His willingness to hear is our confidence in prayer
Remember that I Peter 3:12 teaches that “hiis ears are open” to the prayers of the righteous
In other words, its not our prayers that open his ears but rather it’s because his ears are open that we pray
James 1:5 also teaches that we are to ask of God who gives to ALL liberally and doesn’t find fault
犀利士
There is no confidence to pray when you are uncertain God will answer
We don’t pray hoping he will hear us . We pray knowing he hears us
His readiness in itself is an invitation to pray
That readiness must be a knowing in our hearts
We take that knowing and act on it in prayer and answers come forth
A picture of a God who is unwilling to hear or answer prayer is not consistent with the image of our father
Ask today because he makes resources available and he is willing to answer even before you pray
Enjoy diverse provisions this week
Amen!
Culled from our current weekly teaching series: “Receiving from God”
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