Are you ever frustrated with praying because it seems that your prayers never get answered? Do you ever think “What’s the use! I confess my sin; I ask repeatedly, and nothing happens.” Don’t give up. John’s first letter makes it clear how we can pray with confidence. Read I John 5:13-15.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. How can we be assured of God’s hearing our prayers?
2. According to whose will are we to pray?
3. What will happen if we pray according to our will? (Hint: See James 4:3)
4. What word does John use twice in verse 15 to show the certainty of these things?
APPLICATION
Praying according to God’s will requires that we know God’s will. God has throughout His Word helped us by giving clear commands and even at times saying, “This is the will of God.” Examples of these are found in Colossians 3:12-17 and I Thessalonians 5:18. Find at least three other passages which assert God’s will for us (the Epistles abound in such commands).
PRAYER
• Thank God for showing you His will in the Bible.
• Ask God to help you identify those passages that indicate God’s will.
• Ask God to help you pray according to His will and not your will.
Key Verse
If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
I John 5:14