And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
The promise in this passage is that if we pray according to God’s will, he hears us and will give us what we ask for. But what does it mean to ask according to his will?
When my children were growing up, they would occasionally ask me for something. Did they always get what they asked for? No. It would have been irresponsible of me, and potentially harmful to them, to grant every request.
Whether or not their request was granted was determined by how it aligned with my will for them. I loved them and wanted the best for them. Not just what may have been best for the moment, but best for the long term. I was less concerned with their momentary happiness than with their growth into mature and productive adults.
That means there were times when what they asked for, even though it might have been OK, was something that I felt would not be in their best interest in the long term. Of course, as a human parent, I did not always know what would work out for their best. And there were limits to what I could do for them.
God’s Will for Me
What John is telling us here is that God responds to us in a similar fashion. But without the uncertainty of what might be best. Or the limitations I faced as a finite human. He wants my best—for me to grow in maturity as a believer and become as fruitful as possible in the kingdom’s work.
So, as a believer, I can have confidence that if what I am asking God is according to his will, I am going to receive it. If I do not, I can rest assured that what I asked for was not for my best. It would not enable me to grow and minister more effectively in the kingdom.
We have an example of this in Paul’s life. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Paul recounts an experience he had with the Lord that ended with him having a thorn in the flesh. We do not know what that thorn was, but Paul prayed three times for it to be removed. But God told him no. That thorn was good for Paul, forcing him to recognize that when he was weak, he was the strongest.
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