13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 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. (I John 5)
One of the outstanding characteristics of John's writing in this letter is his use of the verb "we know." Seventeen times he uses it, as well as the times he says "you know." Here he tells us something we know about prayer. First, God hears the prayer of faith of the one who trusts in Christ as Son of God and Savior; we can know we have eternal life. Secondly; we know that when we ask, He hears. Our prayers are not aimless soundwaves or heart cries. Thirdly, we know He answers, acts, and is able to do what is needed, according to His will. Like all the other "we knows" in this letter, there is a promise and an exhortation. We can pray with confidence, and we should pray away.
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