In I John 5:14-15, John writes, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”
This is not the first time that John has discussed prayer in this epistle. He spoke of the importance of confessing our sins, which is done in prayer (1:9); he discussed the fact that we have an advocate in prayer, Jesus Christ the Righteous (2:1); he has told us the reason we receive what we ask in prayer (3:22). As he nears the end of this epistle, he again discusses the vital subject of prayer by again mentioning the confidence we can have when we pray. First, let us consider how and why we can pray with confidence. What are the requirements for us to be able to have the confidence here spoken of when we pray?
First, it requires that we ask according to God’s will. This is emphasized in the two verses under review in this article. Our confidence in prayer is not based upon our full authority to use our own judgment in making requests to God. From a misinterpretation of Jesus’ words in John 14:13-14, some may conclude that this is the case. In that passage Jesus says, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” However, as in Colossians 3:17, asking “in My name” means asking according to His authority. Thus “in My name” and “according to His will” mean the same thing. Jesus’ own example of prayer also illustrates that answers to prayer depend upon whether or not it is asked in harmony with God’s will (Matt. 26:39, 42). Paul learned the same lesson when he prayed about his “thorn in the flesh” (II Cor. 12:7-9). The more we “grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 3:16), through diligent study of God’s divine truth, the more likely we are to pray according to His will. This gives us greater confidence that our prayers will be heard and granted.
Second, confidence in prayer requires that we keep God’s commandments. This was stressed in I John 3:22. If we ask for something that would normally be within God’s will for us, if we are not keeping His commandments can we really expect God to answer our prayers favorably? Remember Peter’s statement in I Peter 3:12: “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” The psalmist defined righteous by saying “all Thy (God’s) commandments are righteousness” (Psalm 119:172). And in I John 3:22b John defines it as those who “keep His commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in His sight.”
A third requirement is that we must be abiding in Jesus and His word must be abiding in us. This important truth about prayer was taught by Jesus and is recorded by John in his Gospel. “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). This should also help to clarify any misunderstanding from taking John 14:13-14 out of context. These words of Jesus actually summarize what John has taught in this epistle. (1) Confidence in prayer depends upon keeping the commandments, but keeping the commandments is the key to abiding in Jesus (I John 3:24a). (2) Confidence in prayer depends upon asking according to the will of God, but if Jesus’ words abide in us, that will help us know what God’s will is for us, and thus know what is proper for us to ask of Him. Thus, if we learn the words of Jesus, keep His commandments and abide in Him, we will know what is in harmony with God’s will and pray accordingly. In this way we can have confidence when we pray.
The writer of the Book of Hebrews also speaks of our coming before the throne with confidence. Due to the fact that we have a high priest who can be touched by our infirmities because He was tempted as we are, we can “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:14-16). The word “boldly” carries with it the idea of confidence as stated in this passage in I John under review.
What about you? Are you utilizing the power of prayer by asking according to God’s will? Are you keeping His commandments? Are you abiding in Jesus and do His words abide in you? If you can answer these questions in the affirmative, then you have every reason to pray with confidence. Let all of us “pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17).
-Paul M. Wilmoth, January 18, 1944 – April 5, 2021
