“Let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word.” 1 Kings 18:36
Dear Ones:
In the apostle John’s first letter, he writes concerning the subject of confidence in prayer. He begins by writing: “And THIS is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. And if we KNOW that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (5:14-15) In considering this matter of confidence in prayer, we need to see parallel passages that address this matter. In the letter to the Hebrews, the writer addresses the issue of being “BOLD” in coming to the throne of grace, there “…to OBTAIN mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (4:16) We see immediately that God would have us come before His throne with confidence, even to the extent of being bold. Later in the letter, we read: “Let us draw near (to God) with a true heart in FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH,” having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (10:22) Again, we are confronted with the attitude of heart that pleases God, one that is characterized by the full assurance of faith. Is this possible, to come before the invisible God, conscious of our littleness and His greatness? Can we KNOW that we are received by Him, and that He is waiting for us to pray in faith? How can we have this confidence?
The first thing we need to realize is that confidence is based on the revealed will of God. When Elijah confronted Israel, and specifically the prophets of Baal, he was alone in his stance. Where did his confidence before God come from? We find the answer in the declaration: “Let it be known…that I have done all these things at Thy word.” Elijah was NOT acting on his own initiative, but only according to that which the Lord had revealed to him. John, in his epistle, writes the same thing: “…If we ask anything according to His will…” How then do we KNOW the will of God? If we seek a knowledge of God’s will in the Scriptures, we will surely find it, especially if we are willing to do that will.
The second thing concerning the basis for confidence, is a promise, based on the faithfulness of God: “…if we ask anything according to His will, HE HEARS US.” (5:14) What a wonderful reality that, not only does God desire, and will, that we grasp that the basis for prayer is His revealed will, but also, that the eternal God actually hears us pray. We see how important this is when the Psalmist writes: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will NOT hear me: but GOD HAS HEARD ME; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.” (66:18) God hears when we are willing to pray according to His will, but He will not hear if we are not willing to deal with known sin in our hearts.
Lastly, confidence in prayer is based on the very character, and nature of God, His mercy and grace.. He reveals this to us in that He presents to us the enlarged sphere of possibilities in prayer, “…whatsoever we ask.” The assurance in prayer is not only an objective one based on the knowledge of His will, but the testimony by His Spirit to our hearts. “We know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” How? It is by the witness of the Spirit to our hearts. As the Spirit of God witnesses to our spirits that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16), He also confirms to us the desire and will of God by the peace, and assurance that He gives. (Colossians 3:15)
Dear Father, what a wonderful thing that You desire that we come to You, in full assurance of faith, first, knowing that You received us for Jesus’ sake. And secondly, in order to hear our voice, as we pray according to Your revealed will. Give us the boldness of Your Son, the profound confidence by the Spirit, and that ability to give You access to all. Then we shall KNOW that we have received that which we have asked of Thee. We thank and praise Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad