"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
The apostle John knew his identity in Christ. He referred to himself as the beloved because he KNEW that Jesus loved him. He trusted that his prayers were heard. We should remember his perspective as we read his letters to the believers. If we have a love relationship with the Lord and we pray as the Spirit leads us, then we can trust we are praying according to His will. If we had a gift for our child and we knew that is exactly what they wanted, would we keep it from them if they asked? No! We may have them wait, but we would most definitely give it to them! God IS love, so how much more would He want to bless us with the desires He put in our heart.
James 2:3 says, "Yet you do not have because you do not ask." The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to destroy our families, our churches, our visions and our relationship with God. If we hesitate to ask a loving Father for something then we need to ask why! Am I fearful the Lord doesn't hear? Do I feel the Lord won't bless me because I'm not worthy? We should always check our heart to make sure our intentions are pure in what we are asking, but we should also ask why if we ever hesitate to ask God for anything. Maybe you are believing a lie that is keeping you from asking and receiving the very promise God has for you.
The truth is, God loves you and He works things out for His glory for those that love Him. Today friend, sit on the porch and pull up an extra chair for Jesus. Talk to Him as if He were sitting there in the flesh and answer the question He asked the blind man, "What do you want me to do for you?" It was God's will for the blind man to be healed. Maybe the Lord is just waiting for you to ask Him for something that is according to His will so He can change your life also.
Dig Deeper
1 John 5 | James 2:2-3 | Mark 10:46-51