Prayer is an essential component to our faith. It is not optional. The Bible tells us over and over to pray, “pray for one another…pray without ceasing…pray that you may not enter into temptation.” If you are struggling to maintain a healthy and active prayer life, you are not alone. Just know that God deeply desires a two-way relationship with you.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” // 1 John 5:14
I absolutely love this verse in 1 John. It is my favorite verse about prayer in the Bible. This “confidence we have” is founded in the assurance of our standing with God. Our confidence is never in ourselves, but rather in Christ. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you should approach the throne of God with confidence.
We pray to be in relationship with God the Father. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has given us unhindered access to God, Jesus tore the veil. It is an amazing privilege we have! Too often we take this privilege for granted.
Verse 14 goes on to say, “ask anything.” God desires that we ask, he is a loving God and a generous giver. This does not mean that God will grant anything we ask but that we can and should come to God with everything. Your marriage, your career, your health, your friends, your finances – everything. Nothing is too small or too great for God.
I think the key part in this verse is, “according to his will.” Are you asking with the right motives? Too often I am guilty of approaching God with my own wants and desires instead of approaching God with what HE wants and desires for me. Do my prayer requests ultimately further God’s purpose and glory? When we approach God with our own wants and desires it is often one-sided and impersonal. We quickly run through our list of things we want from God and that’s it. We do not allow time to hear what God has for us, nor do we want to.
Do you feel distant from God? Do you feel like your prayer life needs some work? Try these 3 practical tips to restore your time with God.
#1 – Approach God with confidence! God loves you and desires a relationship with you. Do not allow a sense of unworthiness, or the fact that you haven’t prayed in forever keep you from talking to God today.
#2 – Set aside time for God. DO NOT RUSH IT. Too often we rush through our prayers or devotions because we don’t make the necessary time. We pray as we are rushing out the door or right as we are falling asleep for the night. Set aside time for God, give him the attention he deserves.
#3 – Sit in silence – spend the first 5 minutes just listening, see what God has for you. It’s incredible what can transpire in these moments of silence before God.
I absolutely love the simple yet powerful ending to this verse, “he hear us!” The Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe hears YOU. He’s waiting and desiring for you to reignite your prayer life and your relationship with him. Approach God with confidence today.