1 John 5:14 And this is the assurance that we have with him, that whatever we ask according to his will he hears us.
καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ παρρησία ἣν ἔχομεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅτι ἐάν τι αἰτώμεθα κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἀκούει ἡμῶν.
The question often asked is, Why does God not answer my prayers? This first gives us an important clue: we must learn to pray according to God’s will. Prayer is the way we discover God’s will. How? We learn to listen as we pray. Answered prayer is conditioned upon several factors. One, in the context of this letter, obedience to the law of love confirms our relationship with God. We are ready to listen to God’s will because we have humbly come to him in submission. We are ready to listen because we love God and love others. Two, we are walking in the light and have rejected the darkness of sin. There is nothing that keeps us from God’s presence. Three, with the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, we grow in our assurance and ability to discern God’s voice among the myriad of voices that we hear in this world. Our focus changes from seeking our own good to seeking God’s will and the good of others. This will be a redirection that can help us to pray more according to God’s will.
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