“…if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us….and we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” – 1 John 5:14,15 

Scripture reading: 1 John 5:14-15; Luke 11:5-13

Often verses such as these are taken out of context and turn God into a cosmic vending machine.  We put a prayer in and God spits out whatever we ask.  What is forgotten is the key phrase “according to His will”.  God will sovereignly do what God will do.  Our prayers are effectual as we pray according to God’s will.  For those whose first love is Jesus Christ and who earnestly desire fellowship with God through Him, these verses are priceless.  We already know from the previous verses that God’s will is that His people be saved and that they enjoy fellowship with Him.  Our passage in Luke tells us that God will give the Holy Spirit (the agent of fellowship) to all who truly ask for Him (v.13)

Our walk with God is not always an easy one.  There are times when our hearts are cold or when we feel as if we are simply going through the motions of fellowship with God.  It is especially at these times that we need to turn to passages like these and pray to God that our hearts would be softened and that we would begin to experience His love and grace afresh.  As we come to Him in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, we already know that God wills it!  As long as we truly come to God in Jesus Christ, these types of prayers are never presumptuous because we are simply praying God’s promises back to Him.

Suggestions for prayer

As you look to Jesus, take God at His word today and plead for a greater fellowship and a deeper desire to know Him.  He is listening and will answer!

Rev. Brian Murray is the associate pastor at Grace ARP Church and the Director of Gillespie Academy in Woodstock, Ontario. He has been ordained in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church since 2003 and he and his wife Melissa have four children. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.