Prayer That MattersSample

He Hears and Answers

Read 1 John 5:14, 15 and Ephesians 1:13, 14

The deepest cry of your heart is to know God hears you when you pray. And you want assurance that you will receive what you ask for.

“And if we know that he hears… we know that we have…” (1 John 5:15)

1 John 5:14-15 are part of a longer passage where John explains a list of things "we know" as the result of having this testimony in our hearts: "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11)

But notice how John wrote verse 15. He didn't say you eventually will receive what you asked of God, but rather that you already have received what you asked of God.

Where does this come from? Verse 14 explains it. First, as a result of knowing that you have eternal life (Verse 13), you have confidence to approach God. Since you couldn't have eternal life without the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit cannot indwell a sinful person, then this confidence is the direct result of the completed work of Jesus.

Jesus died once and for all for sin and He rose victorious over death. Sin can never separate you from God again and eternal life is yours. Therefore, since you know you have eternal life, you also know you are a forgiven person. Completely free from fear, you can boldly walk into God's presence.

Second, because you have the indwelling Spirit, you can listen to his promptings. He is renewing your mind; that is, teaching you to think properly. As the result of offering yourself to him, you know his will (Romans 12:2).

There’s nothing God wants more than to make you powerfully aware of his will – his desire to conform you to Jesus, your forgiveness, eternal life, love, joy, peace and, perhaps greatest of all, that he is going to finish what he started in you (Philippians 1:6).

Therefore, when the Spirit prompts you to pray, you will be doing so according to his will – and you will know God hears you. Therefore, you know that you already have what you asked of him.