Verses 14 and 15 are not an unrelated parenthesis dropped into an ongoing subject. They are not a detour in a journey John began but can’t finish. They are a part of the total package: one of the spiritual tests for salvation based on the testimony of God. Assuming that God has given eternal life to John’s readers, then here is another blessing which can be applied to their spiritual lives.
God HEARS our prayers. Do you know, or at least believe, that God hears your prayers? He is far from the wicked, “but he HEARETH the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29). Furthermore, the Lord ANSWERS the prayers of the righteous. In Luke 11:9 the Lord Jesus said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, he shall ask what he will, and it shall be done unto you.” Or as John said in 3:22: “Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him…”
But clearly, with I John 5, as well as with several other scriptures, we have to be careful. Should we follow the heretical “name it and claim it” preachers? Does God promise to grant our every wish, whether spiritual, fleshly or even sinful? James says in chapter 4: “Ye have not because ye ask not.” Isn’t that a declaration that all we have to do is turn the divine spigot and out will pour God’s blessings? No it is not, because in James’ next verse he says, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Seeking God’s blessings on our sins will rarely be granted except to punish us for our foolishness. Have you ever known people who prayed for, and expected, God to raise their deceased loved one after he had been embalmed and prepared for burial? I have, and it didn’t happen. What happened to the prayers of the German Christians during the Second World War? Believe it or not, there are praying Christians who voted against Donald Trump in the last election, but their prayers were apparently not answered.
We have to read these two verses with a grain or two of salt – a phrase which means: listen but be careful. In this case the seasoning needs to come from the salt shaker of the Word of God. So this afternoon, I’d like to take down some of the fancier salt and pepper shakers of God’s Word. I’d like to look at these verses from a slightly different perspective than the usual.
This speaks as much about God as it does about prayer. Yes, it refers to confidence, but it is confidence in the God who sent His Son that we might have eternal life. Yes, it talks about the petitions we desire of Him, but above those petitions is the divine will. We should always be more focused on the Lord than on our hopes and wishes. When we look first to the Lord, some of the confusion about these verses disappears.
First, John reminds us that the LORD is WORTHY of our CONFIDENCE.
How did John’s readers become children of God and heirs of eternal life? Wasn’t it that they heard the message of gospel, after which they confidently put their trust in Christ? Not everyone’s faith is as strong and secure as it ought to be – or as it will become. But if it is faith at all, then there is a certain boldness in it. We know that despite the depth of our sinfulness, we can confidently trust the Lord to save us. II Timothy 1:12: “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” You who have believed on the name of the Son of God should know that ye have eternal life.
But notice how verse 13 has an addendum before passing into our text: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” That is a complete thought. It could have ended with a period. But John went on: “And that ye may (continue) to believe on the name of the Son of God.” We may continue to have boldness to trust our Saviour, even after receiving His gift of eternal life.
John has spoken of confidence several times. I John 2:28: “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have CONFIDENCE, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” I John 3:21: “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we CONFIDENCE toward God.” I John 4:17: “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have BOLDNESS in the day of judgment…” That “boldness” is the same word as “confidence.”
At this point, John’s point is that we can trust the Lord our God for everything. Our God and Saviour is omniscient and omnipotent. And hasn’t He demonstrated His love toward us already? Isn’t He kind and compassionate? Romans 8:32: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” That is “all things” in the same light as “whatsoever we ask” here in I John. Cannot the Creator of all things create a solution to the problem you currently face? Can’t He who formed the human body and who has healed you in the past, remove your current thorn? Can’t the One who parted the Red Sea part the river of troubles you now have to cross?
“This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.” Obviously, to “ask” is to request something. And the context suggests that we are asking in our own interest, even if it does affect someone else. Furthermore, I am told that the verb tense suggests asking without stopping; asking over a long period.
With that in mind, let’s not forget that JEHOVAH is GOD.
He has a will, a plan, an agenda, which supercedes the desires of any and all of His creatures. We rejoice knowing that despite Satan’s stubbornness and hard-headedness, our God will bruise his head. That is guaranteed, because God has willed it and ordained it. And beyond that, the Devil has no power or authority to do anything without the permission of God. For example Satan couldn’t touch the soul of Job, or even his body without the leave of the Lord. And what about lesser creatures? “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of waters, he turneth it withersoever he will.” And the king’s throne is in the hand of the Lord as well. But what about the Christian subjects of that evil king? They are just as much in the hand of the Lord as the world’s principalities and powers. Do Christians have any more authority than that wicked king? Even if they say Nebuchadnezzar can’t destroy them, they are still under the authority of the King of kings.
“This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.” Theologians tell us that Jehovah has two kinds of “will.” There is His hidden will and His revealed will. Of course, the Bible is filled with statements regarding God’s will for our lives. The Lord says, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” He says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” He says: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks and quench not the Spirit.” “Despise not prophesyings, prove all things; hold fast that which good, and abstain from all evil.” These and a hundred things remind us about God’s revealed will. And of course, we are to pray in the light of these things and never against them. “Lord encourage and strengthen me in my desire to be sad.” “Help me to find some good pornography.” “God, I am far to busy today to pray for any of these problems; take care of them for me, will you?” Is John referring to the revealed will of God? He is certainly not not referring to such things.
But what if he is talking about the hidden will of God? How can we pray about something of which we know nothing? For example, none of us know the names of the people the Lord intends to save before the end of the year. Does that mean we shouldn’t pray for our friend’s conversion, because we don’t know His will? We don’t know if it is in the will of God’s that our neighbour’s heart disease is going to take her. So should we not pray that she receive a heart transplant?
“We know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit helpeth us in our infirmities” (Romans 8:26). I don’t know that God has ever said to me, “Don’t pray about this matter; don’t pray for that person.” But if the Spirit ever directed me in that way, then I should stop praying. If something is contrary to God’s will then we shouldn’t be surprised if He told us not to pray about it. But there is another way in which the Spirit might help us in our infirmities. If we are willing to receive it, He can give us a heart to honestly say, “Not my will, but thine be done.” “Lord, make my boss give me a healthy raise. But not my will, may thine be done.” “My car is on its last legs; Lord give me another car. But not my will, may thine be done.” The Lord Jesus in His earthly flesh faced an unbearable burden: the upcoming cross. And in the garden He prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
There is a great deal about the eternal will of God which we will never understand on this side of Heaven. But we know and are sure that it is the will of God that we be submissive to whatever that will might be. And that may be a difficult thing for us, even as Christians. But the Holy Spirit can give us that surrender. Even the Lord Jesus prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”
Something else about the Lord is that HE WANTS to HEAR US in prayer.
Why is it that we have so many commands, exhortations and encouragements to pray? He has not commanded us to pray, because He gets a certain number of credits if we comply, like some sort of salesman with a quota to reach. He has not commanded us to pray in order to lubricate our throats or our hearts. He has commanded us to pray without ceasing, because He is honored and glorified when we comply. One reason God commands us to pray is that He wants to hear the voice of our hearts. “He heareth us.”
“This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.” The word “heareth” is not synonymous with “replieth” or “respondeth.” Yes, we are anxious for the Lord to do what we think needs to be done, but before we get to verse 15 we need to be satisfied and even delighted with the simple fact: “He heareth us.” The man who said, “We know that God heareth not sinners,” was not a well-read Christian. He had been newly saved. But he was right in adding, “but if any man be a worshipper of God and doeth his will, him he heareth.” And the truth is, we are all sinners, even if we are redeemed sinners. And as such we have no right to demand that God hear our prayers. And yet He does, whether or not He chooses to comply with our desire.
And that brings me to our last point: “if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask…”
“We know that WE HAVE the PETITIONS that we desired of him.”
Let’s say that you have been praying that when Brother Bowles steps off that plane from Texas that his body will be free from all cancer. Or maybe you are hoping that when you get home later today you receive a phone call telling you that your grandson was born again today. Perhaps you have been dealing with a medical bill which is beyond your financial abilities, and you’ve desired God to eliminate it. Each of those things would require a miracle, but you know that your God works miracles. And yet at the end of the day not one of those things has taken place. Does that negate the promise of these verses?
It has not because at the conclusion of your every prayer was the heart-felt desire: “Not my will, but thine be done.” Isn’t that your real desire? The glorification of the Lord in the accomplishing of His will?
You are a child of God and you love your heavenly father more deeply and sincerely than you ever did your earthly father. Throughout his life you wanted the very best for your father as he did for you. You tried your best to encourage him; you did his will, and you carried out his wishes as best you could. And now that you are a child of the King, you want the same, and more, for your Father which is in Heaven. That means if it is not His will to work a miracle in your life, you are still satisfied. In fact, you are not just satisfied, you acknowledge you have received what you desired of him: His will.
These two verses are a tremendous blessing, but they are also a test. Do you have the confidence John refers to? Do you have confidence and faith in God sufficient to let Him have His will in your life and in your prayers? Can you trust God to answer in His way and in His time? Will you be satisfied and worshipful when the Lord doesn’t immediately do what you’ve asked Him to do?
“This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”