Daily Devotional

-May 2, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-Confidence In Prayer-

“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).

Prayer is a divine exercise of the soul, a delightful fellowship with God, and a productive time well spent. We all wish we spent more time in prayer. Today’s text demonstrates the confidence we can have when we pray according to His will.

God knows what is best for us, for the church, and for the world. Our task is pray, and God will hear and answer. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” It is the first request mentioned in the prayer. That is how important God’s will is in what we ask.

Prayer is having a reverential and sanctified conversation with God in Jesus’s name. There are several requirements we must meet if we want God to answer our prayers: pray accordingly to His will (1 John 5:14-15); pray in obedience to God’s commandments, being pleasing to Him (1 John 4:22); pray in faith (Matthew 21:22); pray persistently not losing heart (Luke 18:1); pray with no unconfessed sin (Psalm 66:18); pray in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18); pray earnestly and vigilantly with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:1); pray boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:12); and pray expectantly and confidently (1 John 5:14-15).

When we pray according to these conditions, God will answer our prayers with a yes, no, or wait. It is always so encouraging, exciting, and energizing when God answers our prayers. Let us pray more often and more effectively. James 5:16-18 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”

There is tremendous power in prayer. God wants us to pray and ask big things from Him. Let us pray and pray specifically.

Have a blessed day in prayer. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean