 | This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. |
 | 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 which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. |
| 1 John 5:14 |
Commentary
When we know that we have eternal life, needless to say, we can go before the Lord with confidence. John describes this confidence in verses 14, 15. We know that if we ask anything according to God's will, He hears those prayers and will answer them. Indeed we should fear to pray for anything that is not in accordance with His will. Perhaps someone will say, "But how can I know the will of God?" In a general way, the answer is that God's will is revealed to us in the Sacred Scriptures, and so we should study the word in order that we might know better what God's will is and how we can pray more intelligently.
Faith in Practice
Jesus had once told His disciples, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and truth shall make you free" (John 8:31, 32). The truth of which Jesus spoke could only be known by keeping Jesus' words, for God's truth is to be experienced rather than simply comprehended. Thus we come to "know" God's truth by doing His will. Unlived truth has little meaning to the believer and none at all to those in the world.
The wonderful promise Jesus gave His disciples is that the Holy Spirit will guide believers into the will of God, and that in living that truth we are set free.
Richards, L., Pegoda, D., & Gross, P. (2001). Every teaching of Jesus in the Bible. Includes index. (171). Nashville: T. Nelson.
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