Category: Prayer

Re:Verse passage – 1 John 5:14-15 (day seven) 

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. vs 14

Every so often, I will host an “Ask Anything” night with the youth. This is a time where I can hear the questions that are bubbling in the hearts’ of our students and do my best to answer those questions. I will usually find a way for the questions to be anonymous so that there is complete freedom for the students to ask anything they want. Of course, you get some middle school boys asking silly questions, but for the most part, I get deep insightful questions.

Do you feel the freedom to ask God anything? God wants to hear the burning questions and desires of your heart. He knows them because He knows you better than you do, but He wants you to express them in prayer. Even though there is not a guarantee that they will be answered in the way we should want, there is freedom in knowing you have been heard and answered.

Re:Verse passage – 1 John 5:14-15 (day six)

Have you considered that John’s encouraging words were intended to change their prayer life? His letter was not an intellectual exercise but was meant to give them confidence and change the rhythms of their lives.

We have been in a series on prayer for 13 weeks. Has it been an intellectual exercise, or has there been real change in your own prayer life?

It has changed mine.

Re:Verse passage – 1 John 5:14-15 (day five)
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13
This week, don’t leave out verse 13 of 1 John 5 when you think about and study our Re:verse passage. That verse gives great clarity and perspective on our prayers.  It serves as a reminder and catalyst for a vibrant and personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We have God’s ear, because we have Him (product of His grace and kindness to us). And that’s the real goal/treasure of prayer, not getting things or stuff from God, but getting God, and more of God. It’s not about us and our requests, but about Him and His love and power.

“Our asking and pleading and requesting originate not from our emptiness, but his fullness. Prayer doesn’t begin with our needs, but with his bounty. Its origin is first in adoration, and only later in asking. Prayer is a reflex to the he gives to the sinners he saves. It is soliciting his provision in view of the power he has shown“. – David Mathis

Re:Verse passage – 1 John 5:14-15 (day four)

John states that we can have confidence that God hears us. But what gives us this confidence? What makes us sure that the God of the universe can hear what we have to say – or that he even wants to hear us? When things don’t happen the way we prayed they would, it’s easy to question if God can hear us, or if he has the desire to listen to us.

We know that God hears us because he did whatever it took to be united to us. He did what no other god would do – he became lowly and took on human flesh. He sent his son to carry the weight of sin for us, so that we would be united to him forever, living in perfect communion with him. He made a way to be united to us because he loves us. God so loved the world that he gave his only son. God’s disposition towards his children is one of love.

God didn’t do this miraculous work of love just to carelessly toss our prayers aside, only partially listening to us. He listens to us with his fullest attention because it is his character to do so. He is El Shama, the God who hears. When we have confidence in his character, we can have confidence that he hears us and will answer our prayers according to his will.

Re:Verse passage – 1 John 5:14-15 (day three)

“If we know that he hears … we know that we have…”

When your voice surprises a loved one with joy, when an important person answers your call, when your favorite musician takes your request, you’ve been heard. There’s a deep assurance that you matter. Being heard is so important to the core of your being that the actual details of your petition become less of the central issue, because being heard in your deepest place of longing affirms that you are valuable. With God, hearing and providing are two dimensions of the same attribute – his love for you. The one who takes the time to hear you will take the time to care for you in a way that will fill you with comfort, hope, and an unsurpassed experience of well-being. The one who made you will hear you.

Re:Verse passage – 1 John 5:14-15 (day two) 

This is the confidence which we have before Him vs. 14a

To be confident in something means there is a sense of expected outcome. To whatever degree you know how things will turn out will strengthen your resolve when facing a challenge or task. We are reminded in this passage that to be in the will of God is to have a surety that can come from nowhere else. It is this reason that when Jesus was praying for his disciples and for all believers that we be one with the Father. John 17

Jesus did not want us to be uncertain of our future or to fret over how to manage life. His desire was for us to rest in the unity we have through the Holy Spirit with the father and the son. Through this we will gain the confidence to face and overcome whatever lies before us. If you find yourself lacking the confidence you think you should have, step back, seek God’s perfect will and lean into that above everything else.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day six)

As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us. vs 13

Do you quote scripture in your prayers? This is a common theme in prayers we read through out the Bible, but isn’t that counter intuitive? Doesn’t God already know His Words and how They apply to the situation? Yes, but maybe the scripture has less to do with changing God’s will and more to do with influencing the prayer’s heart. When we use scripture in our prayer, it is a way for us to show God and ourselves that we know and believe His promises. We reassure ourselves that God has answered this prayer in the past, and He is capable of doing it again. When we use scripture in our prayers, it is a sign that our heart is beating more in rhythm with God’s. If you want that, if you want your heart in rhythm with God’s, you need to love His Word and make it a part of your rhythm. Naturally, His Words will become your words.

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day six)

So, I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes. Daniel 9:3

I have always appreciated Daniel’s prayer posture. In chapter six, he opens his window towards Jerusalem and prays on his knees. He wore “rough burlap” in this account and sprinkled himself with ashes. Every posture reflected the longings and condition of his heart-grief, penitence, and hope of restoration.

In my reflection, I wonder what my posture communicates about my heart’s condition. How would a more thoughtful posture affect how I pray? Should I consider having a special place like Daniel (his room, with his window open towards Jerusalem), or be more mindful about what I am wearing? These are things Daniel clearly considered. Should I?

What is your posture when you pray?

Re:Verse passage – Daniel 9:1-23 (day five)  

“for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.”  Can you tell that Daniel’s prayer is being informed and influenced by the scriptures?  High view of God.  Proper perspective of man. Honest depiction of sin. All of these come from the scriptures. We worship, live, and pray better when we are influenced by the scriptures. Why?  The scriptures help us see the truth about God and sin. Our prayers (even our confession) have as much to do with God and His Character (Holiness in the present and mercy in the past) as they do with ourselves and our sin. When my prayers have more focus and attention on me than they do God, I need take notice and be concerned.  Need to get back to the scriptures.

Daniel’s confession—biblical confession—is God-centered. The issue is not admitting that we have made our life miserable. The issue is admitting that there is something much worse than our misery, namely, the offended holiness and glory of God. – John Piper