Title: The Boldness of Prayer
(Lecture 53) 1 John 5:14-15 Boldness of Prayer
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This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. If we know that he hears us about anything we ask, we also know that we have what we ask of him (1 John 5:14-15). )
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In addition, it can be said that the present reality is that prayer is highlighted as a so-called proof of living faith, and those who pray do not perish.
The universal idea of prayer is zeal and answer. There are many people who are engrossed in prayer with the expectation that God does not turn away from the prayers of those who pray earnestly. Of course, there is God's answer to the prayers of believers. However, the answer most people want is that the content of prayer is fulfilled in reality. These people will be attracted to the content of the text.
The text reads, “This is the boldness that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we also know that we have what we ask of him” 14, 15). What will you usually be interested in in this content? Wouldn't you be interested in this verse, 'if you ask for anything' and 'whatever you ask for'?
In fact, it is a wonderful saying that God hears everything a believer asks for. So who wouldn't say, "Amen" to this?
Ratings are always relative. When there is a person who prays for an hour, a person who prays for 30 minutes tends to be seen as a person who prayed little. But, wouldn't a person who prayed for one hour stand in front of a person who prayed for two hours, would not be evaluated as a person who neglected to pray? In the end, although the emphasis is on zeal for prayer, it is nothing more than blindly emphasizing what to do a lot without a clear standard.
The important thing in prayer is not zeal without standards, but asking according to his will. Asking according to his will means that there is no will of mine. It means that God hears prayers that do not contain my will. In prayer, God does not see my devotion and effort. God is looking to see if prayer is in accord with my will. Therefore, prayer should not be the one that comes out of the mouth. This is because it is not a matter of praying but what you prayed for is important. If we dare to say that we are earnest in prayer, we can say that we seek according to the will of God. That is, my deep heart toward God is zeal, and my efforts should not be evaluated as zeal.
But why does the apostle suddenly bring up the topic of prayer? Up to now, the apostle has spoken of love. But you have to think about why you suddenly bring up the topic of prayer. Considering what the apostle has said so far, the apostle's talk about prayer is not meant to emphasize prayer or to teach what prayer is. The apostle is referring to prayer to speak of the relationship between saints and God, and between saints and saints.
To seek His will means to be in a relationship of knowing God. This is because only those who know God and love Him will pray for Him according to His will. In this way, believers in a relationship with God do not need to worry or be anxious about the question, 'Will God hear my prayer?' Because God hears the prayer you ask for according to God's will, and you know that you have already received it.
As it has already been obtained, Allah sometimes gives strange interpretations of these words. Since God hears all our prayers, do not have any doubts or concerns about whether He will hear us or not, and think that we have already obtained it. This can't be nonsense. It becomes something like, ‘God, I can’t give it to you because it will be regarded as something I have already obtained’.
Prayer comes from a relationship with God. Through prayer, we come to know the relationship of knowing God and whether we live as those who love God. You can know whether you are praying according to your will or asking according to God's will.
As the saints who love God according to the apostle's words, God will surely hear what we ask according to His will. If God hears you, you have already obtained it. Therefore, believers should think about what they ought to seek as a person who knows God and loves God.
When there is a difficult problem, I do not ask for it to be solved blindly, but think of God who made the difficult thing possible, and to know God's love more deeply in this work and to live while looking at His grace is a prayer without my will. you hear clearly. Because God's will is to work so that you may know God's love and grace in your difficulties. Therefore, prayers according to God's will have already been answered by God. This is the prayer that the believer who has eternal life shows in the relationship of knowing God. It is bound to be a completely different prayer from those who do not know God.
Everyone in the world lives by praying, but only God's people can pray for believers who know God and have eternal life. So the believer can also confirm the brotherhood through prayer. If we can say 'Amen' together to the prayer, 'God, please take away everything I have and live as a holy saint', wouldn't we have the same heart toward God and want the same brothers? It is our duty to love these brothers to the fullest.