“I have written this
to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have
eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for
anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our
requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for”
(1 John 5:13-15,
NLT).
The Apostle John begins by
mentioning that this letter is written especially for people who are already believers:
“to you who believe in the name of the Son of God”
(although anybody else is welcome to read it as well, I’m sure). Why? So that
we know for sure that we “have eternal life.”
John is concerned that we must have the confidence and toughness we need as we are
confronted by false teachers and other pressures. Some false beliefs in John’s
day as well as today, were probably attractive and promised all kinds of
things. So, in moments of weakness, some people would give in to the pressure and
leave their faith in Jesus. Friends, in tough times, we need to be confident in
the “Son of God” that
we will receive “eternal life”!
No ifs, ands, or buts. Our futures are in God’s faithful hands.
There are other sources of
confidence besides knowing that we have eternal life: We can live with the
confidence that God cares for us so much that we can speak boldly with God
through prayer. “We are confident that he
hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.” We can
share with God what is on our minds without being afraid of how He will respond.
We have a freedom of speech with God. We can share our frustrations and anger
as well as our praise, love, and concerns with God. God can take whatever we
need to share. We don’t have to force our way into God’s presence to make an
appointment months in advance as if He were the CEO of a large company or government.
God is always available. There is no answering service, no busy signal, and no
forwarding e-mail address. God is ready to talk with us, 24-7 a day.
God wants what is best for
us. Pray for “anything.” But
we are taught to pray for “anything that
pleases him” or more accurately – pray “according to His will” (NIV). This is a balanced prayer. In
other words, we should share our concerns with God and ask that we will want
what God wants for us. This can help us get beyond presenting God with a
grocery list of “our requests”
for which we expect certain answers. As we tell God about our concerns, we can
say that we may not be sure what the best answer is – but God knows the best
for us.
Remember: Prayer involves
both talking and listening. Maybe you are wondering how we can listen to God. I
never have heard an audible “voice” from God. I know that some people claim
to hear God on a daily basis. But that hasn’t been true for me (Am I or you
less ‘spiritual’ than others if we don’t? Maybe not so). I find that Lord Jesus
most often speaks to me through my own common sense and conscious, through
circumstances and other people, and especially – the written Word of God, the
Bible. However God speaks to you – I hope mainly from God’s Word – you can be
sure and confident that He wants to hear you and wants the very best for you as
well. Amen.
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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