And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
This is the confidence that believers may have toward God, that every request made in harmony with his will is heard by him. To know that he hears is to know that the things asked of him are granted and possessed. To ask according to his will is to ask in childlike trust for what he has promised to give for doing his will, especially pardon, cleansing from sin, the Holy Spirit, and strength for a holy life. Prayer for the sick is heard on the same terms, but it must submit recovery to his wisdom and goodness, asking restoration only if it will honor him and bless the soul. The promise belongs to those who love Christ, keep his commandments and abide in him, and every sincere prayer of such a one will be answered in the way and time that best meet the need.
Confidence God Hears Prayer
The verse promises believers confidence toward God that every request made according to his will is heard by him. This assurance is the privilege of believers to realize, and knowing that he hears is knowing that the petitions asked of him are possessed. God answers the prayers of the meek and by angels and heavenly agencies gives his faithful workers and ministers guidance, counsel, grace and strength for their service. He teaches his servants how to pray for what they need, as he led Solomon's mind in prayer, and prayer asked in Christ's name is as acceptable as Solomon's prayer.
To be heard is to have the petitions granted, for those who know he hears them may know they have what they asked of him. Joined with verse 15, the promise assures believers that requests in accordance with his will are both heard and possessed.
The promise is a privilege to realize and a precious foundation for faith on which believers can stand securely and trust God. It rests on God's pledged word as the ground of confidence and hope for restoration and salvation amid pain and weakness. Heaven stands opened before believers, honest petitions will be heard and answered, all trials may be taken to Christ whose ear is open to hear, and grace from Jesus Christ will come into the heart to bless.
Such petitions are presented to the Father in Jesus' name, which God honors. Prayer is to be directed to God rather than to erring people or human judgment, offered in Jesus' name with unwavering faith and dependence on God rather than human guidance. God sees every person's circumstances and understands his work in the human heart, so no one needs to direct the workings of his Spirit.
This confidence brings cheer in tribulation and lifts despondency, for God's power quickens the heart and the Holy Spirit supplies what is lacking amid unfavorable circumstances. Believers may therefore trust in the Lord and be of good courage, praying for him to bless and strengthen them with confidence that he will hear prayer and answer petitions. Such confidence in God is reason to rejoice in his love.
Asking According to His Will
Asking according to his will means asking in harmony with his will and mind, in childlike simplicity, with humility at the feet of Jesus and full trust that he hears and grants what is asked. Confidence in prayer rests on this agreement with the divine will, and whatever is asked in that harmony will certainly be granted. It calls for unclouded faith that takes the promises personally, with the heart aligned to God, and its unfailing answer is blessing and peace bringing light and hope to those who are fearful, despairing, or burdened by unworthiness.
It means asking for what he has promised so that what is received can be used in doing his will, and when these conditions are met the promise is certain. We may ask for pardon, the Holy Spirit, a Christlike temper, wisdom, strength for his work, and any other promised gift; we are to believe we receive it and thank God for it. No outward evidence is needed, for the promise itself assures that the gift is ours, to be realized when it is needed.
Genuine prayer is prompted by the Holy Spirit, who helps human weakness and knows the mind of God. Therefore prayer should follow God's revealed will and submit what remains unknown, approaching the Father through Christ's merits. This confidence encourages believers to ask freely and expect the riches of his grace, knowing that he hears such prayers and that knowing he hears means knowing they have what they asked for.
Such asking does not seek selfish indulgence but asks to be fitted to glorify God, coming from a heart that loves Jesus, treasures him, abides in him, and keeps his commandments. This confidence belongs to promises given on condition of obedience, for love for Christ is shown by keeping his commandments, which set out the terms of salvation. God sees every person's circumstances and understands his work in the human heart, so no one needs to direct the workings of his Spirit. Prayer is to be directed to God, not to erring people or human judgment, as intercession rather than a command directing God to act as people wish. Unbelief and sin separate people from God, and covetousness and attachment to the world hinder strength and power, for blessings come from God's mercy and loving-kindness, not from human goodness, so people must not take the glory for them.
The confidence belongs to those who have the Son and therefore have life, who know they have eternal life and believe on the name of the Son of God, who know they are of God, and who know the Son of God has come and given understanding to know him that is true and to be in him that is true, even in Jesus Christ. It belongs to those who love Christ, keep his commandments, abide in him with his words abiding in them, continue in his love, bear much fruit as disciples, and love one another as commanded. It belongs to those who receive the Comforter to abide forever, with Christ manifesting himself to them, and being heard means the petitions desired are granted. God teaches his servants how to pray for what they need, as he led Solomon's mind in his prayer, and prayer asked in Christ's name is as acceptable as Solomon's prayer.
Assurance for Spiritual Blessings
Deliverance from sin is according to God's will, for it is His will to cleanse people from sin, to make them His children, and to enable them to live a holy life, so those who ask for this deliverance can be confident that He hears them and grants what they ask. Unlike requests for earthly blessings, the answer for cleansing is not delayed or replaced with something else. Believers may ask for these blessings, believe they have received them, and thank Him, coming to Jesus for cleansing and standing before the law without shame or remorse, for those who are in Christ and walk by the Spirit are not condemned.
Prayer for spiritual blessings should name the very blessing needed and believe it will be received, asked on condition that it accords with God's will. He hears such prayer and will answer in the manner and at the time that is for the petitioner's best good and for His name's glory. Sinfulness and feelings of unworthiness should not cut off this confidence or keep believers from claiming God's promises. Confidence rests on asking in harmony with the divine will, which will certainly be granted, calling for unclouded faith that takes Christ's promises personally, with humility at the feet of Jesus and a heart in agreement with God's will, whose unfailing answer is the blessing and peace of Jesus resting on those who humbly petition.
Children can be taught to look to God for strength and to trust that He hears their prayers as they seek to overcome evil and resist temptation.
Praying for the Sick
Prayer for a sick person must be offered according to God's will in calm faith and submission, asking God to restore them only if doing so accords with His will, glorifies Him, and is for the person's good. The request is to be that God raise the sick person if it can glorify God, entrusting the outcome to His wisdom rather than demanding what is desired, for prayer is intercession, not a command. Confidence remains firm when the request is surrendered to God without anxious insistence, and after praying, people should use the means available and ask God to bless them and give wisdom to work with Him.
God knows the person's past, future, and heart, including whether recovery would honor Him or lead to backsliding and apostasy, and whether it would truly benefit the soul and glorify God. Because He knows what is best for each person and what future trials or consequences may follow from recovery, petitioners cannot insist on recovery regardless of His will. Insisting on recovery without submitting to God's will is wrong.
Faith does not demand a particular outcome, try to bend God to human wishes, or press desires as commands, but commits the desired outcome to His all-wise wisdom, entrusts the case to Him, and leaves the answer to His will with firm confidence without anxious insistence. Trusting God in this way gives firm, reliable confidence, for petitions must be made in a submissive spirit as intercession rather than command. If recovery is not His will, prayer should instead ask for grace to comfort and for God's presence to sustain the sufferer in suffering, saying not our will but Thine be done.
God hears the reasons and fervent prayers offered and answers when recovery will best honor Him. The answer is the salvation of God, worked out even through quiet means such as rest and sleep, and those who pray are to wait patiently, believe He is working for them, and give His name all the glory. True faith both prays and works, mingling petition with endeavor and judiciously using rational remedies and God's healing agents such as water, air, sunshine, and herbs made to grow for the good of man. Demanding certain healing while refusing all remedies misunderstands faith and crosses the close line from faith into presumption.
Confidence that God listens gives courage to keep asking and pleading for a sick person, holding fast to God's arm and His promises with unwavering faith without letting go and trusting no other power or skill but the Lord, bringing His delivering help through Jesus as the great deliverer. Earnest prayer about bodily infirmity tells God fully about sickness as to a great Physician and then goes to work in faith without waiting to feel better, knowing the prayer is heard because relief comes. Such answered prayer gives hope and courage and strengthens faith, proving the Lord works in a special manner to relieve the afflicted and that His name shall have all the glory, with the sick child raised up to soundness by the prayer of faith.
Conditions for Answered Prayer
The confidence that God hears what is asked according to His will belongs to promises given on condition of obedience and abiding in Christ. Love for Christ is shown by keeping His commandments, which set out the terms of salvation, and abiding in Him produces lives of prayer with assurance that He hears and answers as evidence that ways please God. When love rules the life, trust in God and His dealings becomes complete, so believers approach with full confidence that He grants what is needful for present and eternal good.
That confidence belongs to those who come close enough to let God work for them and through them, hid with Christ in God with the soul-temple emptied of all selfishness and of self taking the glory God should have. God is ready to do the work, but He cannot do it unless self is put away. Clinging to Jesus with living faith in His fullness means coming to the water of life and drinking freely, spending much time on the knees in earnest prayer, resisting the enemy, laboring diligently and perseveringly for souls who need help, and believing that God hears, with the result of seeing His salvation and success in reaching souls. Unbelief and sin separate people from God, and covetousness and attachment to the world hinder the church's strength and power. Blessings come from God's mercy and loving-kindness, not from human goodness, so people must not take the glory for them, and prayer is intercession rather than a command directing God to act as people wish.
God hears only what is asked in His order and by His special direction. He will not do a great work for another person in answer to prayer He did not lay as a burden, even when offered with claimed faith, when the petitioner is unprepared, not humble enough to bear it, and moved more by self than by the Lord, since answering would prove the ruin of the petitioner and others through exaltation. All such fanatical moves bring terrible injury and discouragement to the cause, perplex minds, and throw believers into doubt when they are convinced the Lord was not directing them and they were asking not according to His will. The promise requires larger and more persevering faith that seeks to understand His will and then does it without murmuring or discontent, including making every effort to obtain harmony, for without this there is no true doing of the Word. It calls for more fervent prayer to understand the great events about to take place, with no safety in careless indifference, working under the Holy Spirit's guidance while truth and righteousness uphold God's throne.
How God Answers Prayer
Every sincere, earnest prayer from an honest heart, every prayer of a true saint offered in faith and honesty, will be answered and none is lost. The answer does not always come as requested or at the time expected, but in the way and at the time that best meet need and are for good. When what is asked differs from what is good and healthful, God gives what is good and healthful instead, giving the blessing when it is most needed and sometimes exceeding expectations. Prayers offered in loneliness, weariness, and trial are answered, not always according to expectations, but always for good.
Humble prayer in faith brings the blessing and peace of Jesus, giving hope and joy and bringing light to those burdened by fear, despondency, and unworthiness. Confidence rests on asking in harmony with the divine will, with unclouded faith that takes the promises personally, with humility and a heart in agreement with God, and whatever is so asked will certainly be granted. Relying on the word brings the peace of Christ even when the joy or blessing desired is not immediately felt.
God appoints angels to respond to the prayers of the meek and to guide ministers with counsel and judgment. Through heavenly agencies He imparts grace, strength, and counsel to faithful workers and children for their service and work. He teaches His servants how to pray for what they need, as He led Solomon's mind in prayer, and prayer asked in Christ's name is as acceptable as Solomon's prayer. Elijah's prayer for rain was granted and illustrates this assurance, showing prevailing prayer in which persevering faith claims what God has promised and trusts Him to fulfill His word.
The Christian life cannot be lived without prayer any more than physical life can be lived without food, and asking and receiving the bread of heaven gives growth in grace, strength as preparation for duty, and peace in the heart. God has resources to supply necessities in strait financial places and will not deny the request. Proving the Lord means committing all necessities to Him in real prayer, then moving onward step by step, advancing from victory to victory and overcoming obstacles while waiting and watching in prayer.
Those seeking guidance about the location of the Avondale school prayed with this confidence, believed they had received what they asked, trusted He would teach and lead them, and their investigations confirmed the decision. Parents may likewise bring concerns for their children, asking help to guide them to love and glorify God and to develop clean characters. Workers who recognize their accountability may come as they are and seek His strength, and their awakening may also reveal opportunities wasted through indifference and unfaithfulness. Prayers offered simply and faithfully before God's throne in faith will be answered, and in answering His people's supplications He is glorified.
This is the confidence that believers may have toward God, that every request made in harmony with his will is heard by him. To know that he hears is to know that the things asked of him are granted and possessed. To ask according to his will is to ask in childlike trust for what he has promised to give for doing his will, especially pardon, cleansing from sin, the Holy Spirit, and strength for a holy life. Prayer for the sick is heard on the same terms, but it must submit recovery to his wisdom and goodness, asking restoration only if it will honor him and bless the soul. The promise belongs to those who love Christ, keep his commandments and abide in him, and every sincere prayer of such a one will be answered in the way and time that best meet the need.
Confidence God Hears Prayer
The verse promises believers confidence toward God that every request made according to his will is heard by him. This assurance is the privilege of believers to realize, and knowing that he hears is knowing that the petitions asked of him are possessed. God answers the prayers of the meek and by angels and heavenly agencies gives his faithful workers and ministers guidance, counsel, grace and strength for their service. He teaches his servants how to pray for what they need, as he led Solomon's mind in prayer, and prayer asked in Christ's name is as acceptable as Solomon's prayer.
To be heard is to have the petitions granted, for those who know he hears them may know they have what they asked of him. Joined with verse 15, the promise assures believers that requests in accordance with his will are both heard and possessed.
The promise is a privilege to realize and a precious foundation for faith on which believers can stand securely and trust God. It rests on God's pledged word as the ground of confidence and hope for restoration and salvation amid pain and weakness. Heaven stands opened before believers, honest petitions will be heard and answered, all trials may be taken to Christ whose ear is open to hear, and grace from Jesus Christ will come into the heart to bless.
Such petitions are presented to the Father in Jesus' name, which God honors. Prayer is to be directed to God rather than to erring people or human judgment, offered in Jesus' name with unwavering faith and dependence on God rather than human guidance. God sees every person's circumstances and understands his work in the human heart, so no one needs to direct the workings of his Spirit.
This confidence brings cheer in tribulation and lifts despondency, for God's power quickens the heart and the Holy Spirit supplies what is lacking amid unfavorable circumstances. Believers may therefore trust in the Lord and be of good courage, praying for him to bless and strengthen them with confidence that he will hear prayer and answer petitions. Such confidence in God is reason to rejoice in his love.
Asking According to His Will
Asking according to his will means asking in harmony with his will and mind, in childlike simplicity, with humility at the feet of Jesus and full trust that he hears and grants what is asked. Confidence in prayer rests on this agreement with the divine will, and whatever is asked in that harmony will certainly be granted. It calls for unclouded faith that takes the promises personally, with the heart aligned to God, and its unfailing answer is blessing and peace bringing light and hope to those who are fearful, despairing, or burdened by unworthiness.
It means asking for what he has promised so that what is received can be used in doing his will, and when these conditions are met the promise is certain. We may ask for pardon, the Holy Spirit, a Christlike temper, wisdom, strength for his work, and any other promised gift; we are to believe we receive it and thank God for it. No outward evidence is needed, for the promise itself assures that the gift is ours, to be realized when it is needed.
Genuine prayer is prompted by the Holy Spirit, who helps human weakness and knows the mind of God. Therefore prayer should follow God's revealed will and submit what remains unknown, approaching the Father through Christ's merits. This confidence encourages believers to ask freely and expect the riches of his grace, knowing that he hears such prayers and that knowing he hears means knowing they have what they asked for.
Such asking does not seek selfish indulgence but asks to be fitted to glorify God, coming from a heart that loves Jesus, treasures him, abides in him, and keeps his commandments. This confidence belongs to promises given on condition of obedience, for love for Christ is shown by keeping his commandments, which set out the terms of salvation. God sees every person's circumstances and understands his work in the human heart, so no one needs to direct the workings of his Spirit. Prayer is to be directed to God, not to erring people or human judgment, as intercession rather than a command directing God to act as people wish. Unbelief and sin separate people from God, and covetousness and attachment to the world hinder strength and power, for blessings come from God's mercy and loving-kindness, not from human goodness, so people must not take the glory for them.
The confidence belongs to those who have the Son and therefore have life, who know they have eternal life and believe on the name of the Son of God, who know they are of God, and who know the Son of God has come and given understanding to know him that is true and to be in him that is true, even in Jesus Christ. It belongs to those who love Christ, keep his commandments, abide in him with his words abiding in them, continue in his love, bear much fruit as disciples, and love one another as commanded. It belongs to those who receive the Comforter to abide forever, with Christ manifesting himself to them, and being heard means the petitions desired are granted. God teaches his servants how to pray for what they need, as he led Solomon's mind in his prayer, and prayer asked in Christ's name is as acceptable as Solomon's prayer.
Assurance for Spiritual Blessings
Deliverance from sin is according to God's will, for it is His will to cleanse people from sin, to make them His children, and to enable them to live a holy life, so those who ask for this deliverance can be confident that He hears them and grants what they ask. Unlike requests for earthly blessings, the answer for cleansing is not delayed or replaced with something else. Believers may ask for these blessings, believe they have received them, and thank Him, coming to Jesus for cleansing and standing before the law without shame or remorse, for those who are in Christ and walk by the Spirit are not condemned.
Prayer for spiritual blessings should name the very blessing needed and believe it will be received, asked on condition that it accords with God's will. He hears such prayer and will answer in the manner and at the time that is for the petitioner's best good and for His name's glory. Sinfulness and feelings of unworthiness should not cut off this confidence or keep believers from claiming God's promises. Confidence rests on asking in harmony with the divine will, which will certainly be granted, calling for unclouded faith that takes Christ's promises personally, with humility at the feet of Jesus and a heart in agreement with God's will, whose unfailing answer is the blessing and peace of Jesus resting on those who humbly petition.
Children can be taught to look to God for strength and to trust that He hears their prayers as they seek to overcome evil and resist temptation.
Praying for the Sick
Prayer for a sick person must be offered according to God's will in calm faith and submission, asking God to restore them only if doing so accords with His will, glorifies Him, and is for the person's good. The request is to be that God raise the sick person if it can glorify God, entrusting the outcome to His wisdom rather than demanding what is desired, for prayer is intercession, not a command. Confidence remains firm when the request is surrendered to God without anxious insistence, and after praying, people should use the means available and ask God to bless them and give wisdom to work with Him.
God knows the person's past, future, and heart, including whether recovery would honor Him or lead to backsliding and apostasy, and whether it would truly benefit the soul and glorify God. Because He knows what is best for each person and what future trials or consequences may follow from recovery, petitioners cannot insist on recovery regardless of His will. Insisting on recovery without submitting to God's will is wrong.
Faith does not demand a particular outcome, try to bend God to human wishes, or press desires as commands, but commits the desired outcome to His all-wise wisdom, entrusts the case to Him, and leaves the answer to His will with firm confidence without anxious insistence. Trusting God in this way gives firm, reliable confidence, for petitions must be made in a submissive spirit as intercession rather than command. If recovery is not His will, prayer should instead ask for grace to comfort and for God's presence to sustain the sufferer in suffering, saying not our will but Thine be done.
God hears the reasons and fervent prayers offered and answers when recovery will best honor Him. The answer is the salvation of God, worked out even through quiet means such as rest and sleep, and those who pray are to wait patiently, believe He is working for them, and give His name all the glory. True faith both prays and works, mingling petition with endeavor and judiciously using rational remedies and God's healing agents such as water, air, sunshine, and herbs made to grow for the good of man. Demanding certain healing while refusing all remedies misunderstands faith and crosses the close line from faith into presumption.
Confidence that God listens gives courage to keep asking and pleading for a sick person, holding fast to God's arm and His promises with unwavering faith without letting go and trusting no other power or skill but the Lord, bringing His delivering help through Jesus as the great deliverer. Earnest prayer about bodily infirmity tells God fully about sickness as to a great Physician and then goes to work in faith without waiting to feel better, knowing the prayer is heard because relief comes. Such answered prayer gives hope and courage and strengthens faith, proving the Lord works in a special manner to relieve the afflicted and that His name shall have all the glory, with the sick child raised up to soundness by the prayer of faith.
Conditions for Answered Prayer
The confidence that God hears what is asked according to His will belongs to promises given on condition of obedience and abiding in Christ. Love for Christ is shown by keeping His commandments, which set out the terms of salvation, and abiding in Him produces lives of prayer with assurance that He hears and answers as evidence that ways please God. When love rules the life, trust in God and His dealings becomes complete, so believers approach with full confidence that He grants what is needful for present and eternal good.
That confidence belongs to those who come close enough to let God work for them and through them, hid with Christ in God with the soul-temple emptied of all selfishness and of self taking the glory God should have. God is ready to do the work, but He cannot do it unless self is put away. Clinging to Jesus with living faith in His fullness means coming to the water of life and drinking freely, spending much time on the knees in earnest prayer, resisting the enemy, laboring diligently and perseveringly for souls who need help, and believing that God hears, with the result of seeing His salvation and success in reaching souls. Unbelief and sin separate people from God, and covetousness and attachment to the world hinder the church's strength and power. Blessings come from God's mercy and loving-kindness, not from human goodness, so people must not take the glory for them, and prayer is intercession rather than a command directing God to act as people wish.
God hears only what is asked in His order and by His special direction. He will not do a great work for another person in answer to prayer He did not lay as a burden, even when offered with claimed faith, when the petitioner is unprepared, not humble enough to bear it, and moved more by self than by the Lord, since answering would prove the ruin of the petitioner and others through exaltation. All such fanatical moves bring terrible injury and discouragement to the cause, perplex minds, and throw believers into doubt when they are convinced the Lord was not directing them and they were asking not according to His will. The promise requires larger and more persevering faith that seeks to understand His will and then does it without murmuring or discontent, including making every effort to obtain harmony, for without this there is no true doing of the Word. It calls for more fervent prayer to understand the great events about to take place, with no safety in careless indifference, working under the Holy Spirit's guidance while truth and righteousness uphold God's throne.
How God Answers Prayer
Every sincere, earnest prayer from an honest heart, every prayer of a true saint offered in faith and honesty, will be answered and none is lost. The answer does not always come as requested or at the time expected, but in the way and at the time that best meet need and are for good. When what is asked differs from what is good and healthful, God gives what is good and healthful instead, giving the blessing when it is most needed and sometimes exceeding expectations. Prayers offered in loneliness, weariness, and trial are answered, not always according to expectations, but always for good.
Humble prayer in faith brings the blessing and peace of Jesus, giving hope and joy and bringing light to those burdened by fear, despondency, and unworthiness. Confidence rests on asking in harmony with the divine will, with unclouded faith that takes the promises personally, with humility and a heart in agreement with God, and whatever is so asked will certainly be granted. Relying on the word brings the peace of Christ even when the joy or blessing desired is not immediately felt.
God appoints angels to respond to the prayers of the meek and to guide ministers with counsel and judgment. Through heavenly agencies He imparts grace, strength, and counsel to faithful workers and children for their service and work. He teaches His servants how to pray for what they need, as He led Solomon's mind in prayer, and prayer asked in Christ's name is as acceptable as Solomon's prayer. Elijah's prayer for rain was granted and illustrates this assurance, showing prevailing prayer in which persevering faith claims what God has promised and trusts Him to fulfill His word.
The Christian life cannot be lived without prayer any more than physical life can be lived without food, and asking and receiving the bread of heaven gives growth in grace, strength as preparation for duty, and peace in the heart. God has resources to supply necessities in strait financial places and will not deny the request. Proving the Lord means committing all necessities to Him in real prayer, then moving onward step by step, advancing from victory to victory and overcoming obstacles while waiting and watching in prayer.
Those seeking guidance about the location of the Avondale school prayed with this confidence, believed they had received what they asked, trusted He would teach and lead them, and their investigations confirmed the decision. Parents may likewise bring concerns for their children, asking help to guide them to love and glorify God and to develop clean characters. Workers who recognize their accountability may come as they are and seek His strength, and their awakening may also reveal opportunities wasted through indifference and unfaithfulness. Prayers offered simply and faithfully before God's throne in faith will be answered, and in answering His people's supplications He is glorified.