Did you say "ask anything"?

The following verse has raised many questions over the years. Listen: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." 1 John 5:14-15 NKJV

Clearly, if we ask anything "according to His will", then our will and His will are in agreement. We are asking God to do for us that which is His will. We are invited to ask. This is not a circumstance in which being timid or uncertain is advised. Humility and contrition before our Lord and Savior are always necessary conditions for entering into His presence, but having said that, boldness in seeking His will and asking for His assistance in doing His will for our lives is more than o.k. Listen to the Apostle Paul:

"(that)…the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him." Ephesians 3:10-12 NKJV

Paul says we are to be bold and confident through our faith in Him. It is our faith in Him that permits this boldness, not faith in ourselves, but faith in Jesus who we know loves us. The author of the Book of Hebrews (The author is unnamed but many believe Paul was the author) further clarifies matters.

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV

The "therefore" in verse 16 above refers to the fact that Jesus, our High Priest, knows what it is like to be tempted with sin. It says Jesus sympathizes with our situation. We are not alone as we face trials and our "needs" are not unknown. We boldly enter into the presence of One who knows us, loves us and who lived without sin in a sinful world. If we pray according to His will for us we can confidently know that His will is going to be done. Thus our prayers should always be, Lord willing, I want this or that to occur. Listen to James, the half brother of Jesus as he gives you excellent perspective:

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.'" James 4:13-15 NKJV

Do you always remember to say "Lord willing" as you start or end your prayers? Do you realize that His will for your life has already been established? Is it His light on our path that we seek? When you pray for others, do you ask for God's will to be done in their lives? What is God's will for all mankind?

Core Christian Value: We are able to ask our Lord for anything and be sure we will receive it if the thing we ask for is consistent with His will. His will for your life has already been established! Seek His will.