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First John 5:14
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
The Apostle John wasn’t trying to pump up the church’s faith. He had confidence in God, including a confidence that whatever we pray for in God’s will is a prayer that God will hear. Can we ask for anything more than having God’s ear, so at least we have access to the throne of grace, thanks be to Jesus Christ, our Mediator.
Psalm 66:19
“But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.”
The psalmist was like John. He knew that God listened to his prayer, and even “attended to the voice of [his] prayer.” It’s one thing to have your prayers heard, but to have them “attended to” means it’s been taken care of. That doesn’t mean your prayer request will come exactly as you thought it would be, but since God attends to it, that should be enough for us.
John 9:31
“We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.”
Isaiah the Prophet wrote our “iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2), but God must hear at least some sinners, because how many of us have cried out to God to save us while we were yet sinners (Rom 5:8)? This verse is saying that whoever does God’s will and worships the One, True God, will be the one who He will listen too.
First Peter 3:12
“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Not only are our prayers being heard, God’s ears are opened toward them, however, His face is against the wicked. If His face is against the wicked, it’s not likely they’re prayers will be heard, especially if they’re living in sin, but God will hear them and answer them if they cry out to be saved.
First John 5:15
“And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
John gives us one final verse about our prayers being heard, and again, he doesn’t have to depend on feelings; he knows that God “hears us in whatever we ask,” and knows “that we have the requests that we have asked of him,” even before we receive them. That’s faith!
Conclusion
We can have confidence that God will hear our prayers. God can even read the thoughts and intents of our hearts (Heb 4:13), so it’s not a matter of whether He will hear us or not, it’s a matter of whether we’ll accept His answer. This much is true, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous” (Prov 15:29).
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. --John 14:13-14
In all our praying, however, it is important that we keep in mind that God will not alter His eternal purposes at the word of a man. We do not pray in order to persuade God to change His mind. Prayer is not an assault upon the reluctance of God, nor an effort to secure a suspension of His will for us or for those for whom we pray. Prayer is not intended to overcome God and "move His arm." God will never be other than Himself, no matter how many people pray, nor how long nor how earnestly.
God's love desires the best for all of us, and He desires to give us the best at any cost. He will open rivers in desert places, still turbulent waves, quiet the wind, bring water from the rock, send an angel to release an apostle from prison, feed an orphanage, open a land long closed to the gospel. All these things and a thousand others He has done and will do in answer to prayer, but only because it had been His will to do it from the beginning. No one persuades Him.
What the praying man does is to bring his will into line with the will of God so God can do what He has all along been willing to do. Thus prayer changes the man and enables God to change things in answer to man's prayer.
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