1 John 5:13-14 (NLT)
I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will.
Every year, I ask God for 2 ridiculous things: that the Cubs win the World Series and that the Bengals win the Super Bowl.
I’m halfway kidding when I ask Him for these things, of course. Not only do I feel selfish asking for my favorite sports teams to succeed, but these two teams always seem have the odds stacked up against them. And from my point of view, it sure seems like God’s two favorite teams are the Cards and the Steelers. But I digress…
These two verses in 1 John 5 appear at the conclusion of the Book of 1 John, which is a letter written to assure us of our salvation in Jesus Christ. It’s in this letter where we find popular passages like:
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” - 1 John 1:7 (NIV)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” - 1 John 3:16 (NIV)
Should you take the time to read the Book of 1 John (which won’t take you too long because it’s only 5 chapters in length,) you’ll find very little about the art of prayer. What you will find, however, is a whole lot about our salvation in Jesus and His command to love others.
So, the question isn’t whether or not God hears or answers the prayers of our hearts today. It’s “have you committed your life to Jesus?” “Do you live a life focused on others or on your own needs?” Be concerned with these things, and freely trust God with all of your prayers.
He loves all of your prayers, and you can trust in his sufficiency.
