6. The Promise of God: Confidence in Prayer
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Theme: Confidence in Prayer
Prayer is not meant to be a fearful guessing game. God does not call His children to pray with uncertainty, distance, or hopelessness. In 1 John 5:14–15, the apostle John teaches us that believers can come before God with confidence. This confidence is not arrogance, presumption, or demanding our own way. It is a holy assurance that comes from knowing God, trusting His character, and praying according to His will.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
1 John 5:14 NKJV
“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 5:15 NKJV
1. Confidence Begins With Relationship
John says, “This is the confidence that we have in Him.” Our confidence is not first in our words, our emotions, our faith level, or how perfectly we prayed. Our confidence is in Him. Prayer begins with relationship. We come to God as children coming to a Father, not as strangers trying to persuade a distant ruler.
This is important because many believers lose confidence in prayer when they focus too much on themselves. They wonder, “Did I pray correctly? Did I use the right words? Did I have enough faith?” But John points us back to the foundation: our confidence is in God Himself. He is faithful, loving, wise, powerful, and good.
“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 4:16 NKJV
Because of Jesus, we do not approach God with fear and condemnation. We come boldly to the throne of grace. Boldness does not mean disrespect. It means we come with assurance because Christ has opened the way for us.
2. Confidence Is Not Presumption
John says we can ask “anything,” but then he gives the condition: “according to His will.” This protects us from misunderstanding prayer. Confidence in prayer does not mean we can command God to do whatever we want. True confidence is not forcing our will onto God; it is bringing our hearts into agreement with His will.
Presumption says, “God must do what I want.” Faith says, “God, I trust You to do what is right.” Presumption uses prayer to control outcomes. Faith uses prayer to surrender to the Father. This is why the phrase “according to His will” is so important. It teaches us that prayer is not only about getting an answer; it is about aligning with God.
“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10 NKJV
Even Jesus taught us to pray according to the Father’s will. This does not weaken prayer; it strengthens it. When we pray according to God’s will, we are praying in agreement with heaven.
3. God’s Will Gives Us Clarity in Prayer
Many people think “according to His will” means we can never pray with certainty. But the opposite is true. God’s will gives us clarity. His will is revealed through His Word, His character, His promises, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. The more we know God, the more our prayers become shaped by what pleases Him.
We know it is God’s will for us to walk in holiness, forgive others, love one another, grow in wisdom, resist temptation, preach the gospel, care for the weak, bear fruit, and become more like Christ. When we pray for these things, we do not need to wonder whether God cares. These prayers agree with His heart.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
John 15:7 NKJV
Notice the connection: abiding in Christ and His words abiding in us shapes what we desire and what we ask. The closer we walk with God, the more our prayers are purified, guided, and strengthened by His truth.
4. The First Assurance: He Hears Us
John says, “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” This is the first great assurance of prayer. God hears His children. He is not distracted, irritated, unwilling, or far away. When we pray according to His will, we can know that our prayers reach the heart of the Father.
To say that God hears us means more than God is aware of our words. In Scripture, when God hears His people, it means He receives their prayer, cares about their need, and responds according to His wisdom and love. A delayed answer does not mean an ignored prayer. A different answer does not mean an uncaring Father. God hears perfectly, even when we do not yet understand fully.
“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”
Psalm 34:15 NKJV
This gives us comfort. We are not praying into silence. We are not speaking into emptiness. We are speaking to the living God who sees, hears, knows, and cares.
5. The Second Assurance: We Have the Petitions
John continues, “And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” This is a strong statement of faith. John is teaching us that when prayer is aligned with God’s will, we can rest in the assurance that God is working, even before we see the full answer with our eyes.
This does not always mean the answer appears instantly. Sometimes God answers immediately. Sometimes He works gradually. Sometimes He changes the situation. Sometimes He changes us. Sometimes He says yes, sometimes wait, and sometimes He redirects us because He knows what is best. But the believer can still have confidence: if God hears, then God responds rightly.
“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Matthew 21:22 NKJV
Faith does not panic while waiting. Faith rests in the character of God. If the answer is delayed, God is still faithful. If the answer looks different from what we expected, God is still wise. If the process is longer than we hoped, God is still working.
6. Hindrances to Confident Prayer
Although God invites us to pray with confidence, Scripture also teaches that certain things can hinder our prayers. Selfish motives, unforgiveness, disobedience, unbelief, and refusing to surrender to God’s will can affect our prayer life. This does not mean God stops loving us, but it does mean our hearts may need correction and realignment.
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
James 4:3 NKJV
James shows us that not every request is spiritually healthy. Sometimes we ask from wrong motives. That is why prayer must include surrender. We can come honestly to God, but we must also allow Him to purify our desires. Confident prayer is not selfish prayer; it is surrendered prayer.
7. The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray
There are times when we do not know exactly how to pray. We may feel weak, confused, burdened, or unsure of God’s will in a specific matter. The good news is that God has not left us alone in prayer. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and leads us into prayers that agree with God’s heart.
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought…”
Romans 8:26 NKJV
This gives us great encouragement. Confidence in prayer does not mean we always know everything. It means we trust the Father, depend on the Son, and rely on the Holy Spirit. Even when our words feel weak, God is strong. Even when our understanding is limited, the Spirit helps us pray.
8. How to Pray With Confidence
We can pray with confidence by coming to God through Jesus, grounding our prayers in Scripture, surrendering our desires to His will, asking with faith, listening for the leading of the Holy Spirit, and trusting God’s timing. Confidence grows as we know God more deeply and learn to trust His heart more fully.
A simple way to pray from 1 John 5:14–15 is this: “Father, I come to You with confidence because of Jesus. Teach me to pray according to Your will. Purify my desires, guide my requests, and help me trust Your wisdom. Thank You that You hear me. Thank You that You are faithful. Let my prayers agree with Your heart and bring glory to Your name. Amen.”
Conclusion: Confidence That Rests in God
1 John 5:14–15 teaches us that prayer is not uncertain, powerless, or empty. The believer can pray with confidence because God hears His children. But this confidence is rooted in surrender. We do not come demanding our own way; we come trusting His will, His wisdom, His timing, and His love.
True confidence in prayer says, “Father, I know You hear me. I trust Your will. I believe Your Word. I rest in Your faithfulness.” This kind of prayer brings peace to the heart, strength to the believer, and glory to God.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him…”
1 John 5:14 NKJV
Our confidence is not in the perfection of our prayers, but in the goodness of the One who hears them.