1 John 5:14-15

1 John 5:14-15

[14] And  this  the confidence  that  we have  in  him,  that,  if  we ask  any thing  according  to his  will,  he heareth  [15] And  if  we know  that  he hear  whatsoever  we ask,  we know  that  we have  the petitions  that  we desired  him. 

What does 1 John 5:14-15 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Prayer is another expression of the believer"s trust in Jesus Christ and confidence toward God (cf. 1 John 3:21). To do something in the name of another means to act on the authority of that person (cf. John 5:43; John 10:25).
"Prayer is not a battle, but a response; its power consists in lifting our wills to God, not in trying to bring his will down to us ..." [1]
"Jesus teaches us to pray: "Thy will be done," not, "Thy will be changed."" [2]
In the preceding context the subject is mainly obedience to the will of God ( 1 John 5:3-13). John"s point is that whenever we need help, but particularly help in obeying God, we can ask for it in prayer confidently (cf. 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:21; 1 John 4:17). He conditioned the promise "whatever" (v15) with "according to His will" ( 1 John 5:14). God hears all prayers, of course, because He is omniscient. However, He hears them in the sense that He hears them favorably because we are His children asking for help to do His will. He will always grant that kind of request. [3] We know the most important aspects of the will of God through Scripture.
"But, if prayer is to be made according to God"s will, why pray at all? Surely his will is going to be accomplished, whether or not we pray for it to be done? To speak in such terms is to assume that God"s will must be understood in a static kind of way, as if God has made a detailed plan beforehand of all that is going to happen-including the fact that we are going to pray in a particular way and at a particular time. But while the Bible does speak of God"s plan and purpose for the world, to speak in such deterministic terms is inconsistent with the freedom which the Bible itself assigns to God"s children, and it wreaks havoc upon the biblical idea of the personal relationship which exists between God and his children." [4]
Trust in Jesus Christ is therefore as basic to success in the Christian life as it is to obtaining eternal life.